Encountering 'the Other'
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A good many years ago I had the privilege of hearing Jean Vanier speak at a conference in Stillorgan, Dublin. He is one of those rare beings whose presence aloen can stir the hearts of those who come near him. The reflections in this booklet are adapted from talks he gave at a recent conference in 2004 in the University of Ulster in Derry. Best known as the founder of l Arche, Vanier had dedicated his life to enabling people to grow. His is the Gospel message that each one of us has a gift to give, each one is precious, each one needs to be loved and to belong. That being so, he says, the fundamental principle of peace is a belief that each person is important. He quotes Jesus s dictum that when we give a feast or banquet of any kind we should invite first the poor and disabled. It takes only one further step to become friends with people who have been marginalised. God sent us Jesus and Jesus sends us the Spirit to change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. It is in that context that this writer sees hope for places like Rwanda and Northern Ireland, where enemies must begin to listen to one and another. This is a very short paperback but one that, if meditated on, could have some powerful effects. --Books Ireland, October 2005
At just thirteen years of age in the middle of World War II Jean Vanier, founder of L Arche the communities for people with learning disabilities joined the Royal Navy and crossed a perilous Atlantic ocean. In recounting this part of his life Jean Vanier recalls the trust which enabled his father to permit him to join up. This trust, he asserts was founded on the belief that each person however flawed has something important to give the world. This message influenced the young Jean in a way that deeply affected his thinking and the course of his life. In Encountering the Other he describes in seven short chapters a life of overcoming barriers through facing up to the many fears that dog our existence and embracing them. Written for the ear as much as the eye this small work manages to both touch and challenge the reader with its simple yet profound insight that peace can only come to those who are not controlled by fear. --Intercom magazine, July/August 2005
Jean Vanier is well known not only as a writer, but also as the founder of L Arche, the faith based communities for people with learning disabilities. Most of us will already have some experience of what he has meant to many families. They have had a great impact all over the world, refocusing our eyes on people rather than problems. Vanier s work is rooted in his faith, in his experience and sense of "the other". In this little book he shares some of his insights. The seven short chapters are based on talks he gave to a conference in Derry. His constant theme is that "the message of Jesus is transformation. So the big question will always be, do we want to change. Do we want to open our hearts to the different?" --The Irish Catholic, 10 March 2005
At just thirteen years of age in the middle of World War II Jean Vanier, founder of L Arche the communities for people with learning disabilities joined the Royal Navy and crossed a perilous Atlantic ocean. In recounting this part of his life Jean Vanier recalls the trust which enabled his father to permit him to join up. This trust, he asserts was founded on the belief that each person however flawed has something important to give the world. This message influenced the young Jean in a way that deeply affected his thinking and the course of his life. In Encountering the Other he describes in seven short chapters a life of overcoming barriers through facing up to the many fears that dog our existence and embracing them. Written for the ear as much as the eye this small work manages to both touch and challenge the reader with its simple yet profound insight that peace can only come to those who are not controlled by fear. --Intercom magazine, July/August 2005
Jean Vanier is well known not only as a writer, but also as the founder of L Arche, the faith based communities for people with learning disabilities. Most of us will already have some experience of what he has meant to many families. They have had a great impact all over the world, refocusing our eyes on people rather than problems. Vanier s work is rooted in his faith, in his experience and sense of "the other". In this little book he shares some of his insights. The seven short chapters are based on talks he gave to a conference in Derry. His constant theme is that "the message of Jesus is transformation. So the big question will always be, do we want to change. Do we want to open our hearts to the different?" --The Irish Catholic, 10 March 2005
Book Description
We are in a world where we all want peace, where we all love peace. But the question will always be ‘Are we prepared to work for it?’ And to work for it can mean to put one’s life in danger. It can mean to cross over barriers where one is not always understood or respected. Cross over the frontiers to meet the other, to encounter the other, to find the enthusiasm to listen to the other.
In June 2004 Jean Vanier presented a three-day conference on 'Encountering "the Other"' at the University of Ulster at Magee, Derry; the essays in this book are based on his inspiring talks at this conference. In his inimitable way, Jean Vanier encourages us to respect and celebrate difference, and shows us how ordinary people can - and do - transform the world and light the way to change.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
A little appetizer of wisdom
6 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
At 62 pages, with only about 47 covered in actual text (in what looks like 1.5 line spacing), this book is a little "appetizer" to the thought and person of Jean Vanier. I can't say I am very familiar with the man after reading this brief work, but it is enough to make me appreciate his wisdom and his deep spirituality, and it makes me want to read more of what he has written.
There are a lot of little pearls of wisdom scattered throughout the text in this book. They could all use some more development (hence the four stars - this book is a bit too short for the depth of the thoughts it presents!), but even in their current form they provide "food for thought," prompting the reader to reflect on a thought or phrase that is novel and hasn't been expressed quite that way before. Here are three of my favorite excerpts:
"Everyone feels guilty because they are not what they should be, or what they think they should be. Jesus came to relieve guilt and to help each of us discover that it is okay to be ourselves and then to grow, to become a man or woman of peace." (p.46)
"I'm always touched by the realization of the wounded body of Jesus because these wounds tell us something. They tell us about love. He went to the very end of love to be able to say to each one of us `I love you'. But it is also telling us something about our own wounds, and our own difficulties in relationships. It will be through our wounds that God will give us his strength." (p. 45)
"We need transformation because there is so much tension and egoism in us. We see the world only though our own eyes; we are not liberated to see people as God sees them. We see people through our wounds, through our difficulties, through our prejudices...The spirit of God will be given, so that then we will see people, not through the glasses of our impoverished humanity and our wounds, but as God sees them. It's a transformation. And to enter into the world of transformation we need to want it." (p. 19-20).
There are a lot of little pearls of wisdom scattered throughout the text in this book. They could all use some more development (hence the four stars - this book is a bit too short for the depth of the thoughts it presents!), but even in their current form they provide "food for thought," prompting the reader to reflect on a thought or phrase that is novel and hasn't been expressed quite that way before. Here are three of my favorite excerpts:
"Everyone feels guilty because they are not what they should be, or what they think they should be. Jesus came to relieve guilt and to help each of us discover that it is okay to be ourselves and then to grow, to become a man or woman of peace." (p.46)
"I'm always touched by the realization of the wounded body of Jesus because these wounds tell us something. They tell us about love. He went to the very end of love to be able to say to each one of us `I love you'. But it is also telling us something about our own wounds, and our own difficulties in relationships. It will be through our wounds that God will give us his strength." (p. 45)
"We need transformation because there is so much tension and egoism in us. We see the world only though our own eyes; we are not liberated to see people as God sees them. We see people through our wounds, through our difficulties, through our prejudices...The spirit of God will be given, so that then we will see people, not through the glasses of our impoverished humanity and our wounds, but as God sees them. It's a transformation. And to enter into the world of transformation we need to want it." (p. 19-20).
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