Community and Growth

I stumbled upon Jean Vanier's modern classic, "Community and Growth," and quickly found that it would be one of those rare books that changes you and how you see the world. So try to get your hands on a copy to read yourself, but in the meantime I'll tease you with some parts that jumped out to me.

"Is it possible, though, to accept ourselves, with our darkness, weaknesses, flaws and fear, without the revelation that God loves us? It is when we discover that the Father sent his only beloved son not to judge us, not to condemn, but to heal, save and guide us on the paths of love, and to forgive us because he loves us in the depths of our being, that we can accept ourselves. There is hope. We are not imprisoned for ever by egoism and darkness. It is possible to love.
    So it becomes possible to accept others and to forgive."  (Chapter 1, p. 15)

"A community is only a community when the majority of its members is making the transition from 'the community for myself' to 'myself for the community', when each person's heart is opening to all the others, without any exception. This is the movement from egoism to love, from death to resurrection; it is the Easter, the passover of the Lord. It is also the passing from a land of slavery to a promised land, the land of interior freedom.
    A community isn't just a place where people live under the same roof; that is a lodging house or an hotel. Nor is a community a work-team. Even less is it a nest of vipers! It is a place where everyone - or, let's be realistic, the majority! - is emerging from the shadows of egocentricity to the light of a real love. 'Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others' (Phil. 2:3-4)."  (Chapter 1, p. 10)

Jon Graf
jon@reliantchurch.org