We Need Each Other

Just finished reading Jean Vanier’s “We Need One Another”, full of little bits of insight as to how God cares for us, and just what that might mean in terms of how we relate to each other as human beings. Here are the things that I wrote down as I read it, each saying something that is both challenging and inspiring:

“When a baby is born, the baby is vulnerable, easily wounded, fragile, and without any kind of defence. This child, held lovingly in the arms of the mother, learns through the tone of her voice, the tenderness of her touch, and her unfailing attention that he or she is loved. The child is not frightened of being vulnerable; he or she learns that it is okay to be weak and to have no defences because he or she knows, I am loved.”

“There is a beauty and vulnerability in each person.”

“Do not be afraid to give voice to your fears. The danger lies in letting our fears control us and in not learning to walk with them. Our fears may not be eliminated, but we do not have to be controlled by them.”

“To love someone is to reveal to them that they are precious; it is to listen to them.”

“God is present in the weakest and in the most vulnerable.”

“Community is about building a body, and we all need one another. Weakness is about accepting who we are, accepting our vulnerabilities and our poverty.”

“Jesus has a vision for our world, to bring people together in love.”

“We are human beings with wounded hearts, and we must take care of our hearts.”

“When you live in a society full of competition, where you find yourself seeking only your own success, you may gain power and money, but you will end up losing what is most valuable in becoming human: to be in relationship, open to another person. This is the vision of Jesus and the work of peace: to discover that every person is unique, whatever their disabilities, whatever their tribe, country, culture, or religion.”

“Forgiveness is not just the recognition that I am broken; it is also the recognition that I have broken others and that I have hurt them and helped prevent them from opening to the grace of God. The great mystery of Jesus is that he came to forgive, not just all that is broken in me, but all that I have broken in others. This is forgiveness.”

“Society is not a pyramid but a body, and in that body each part is important.  There are no parts that are the best or better than others.”