"In my previous letters, I have often shared my wonder for the birds, but this time I am going to speak to you about the flowers."
This quote is the way Jean Vanier's last letter (May 2018) to his community, found on his organization's website, begins. https://www.jean-vanier.org/en
Jean's simplicity and desire for connection is also symbolized by the oranges held high during his funeral procession. "When we've had oranges for dessert at L'Arche, we sometimes start chucking the peel about at the end of the meal. Everyone gets into it. An Englishman once asked me if this was a traditional French custom. I don't know about that! But I do know that it is one way to bring people out of their isolation to express themselves joyfully--especially if they can't communicate with words."
In 1964, after witnessing the institutionalized life of people with intellectual disabilities, Jean invited two men to live with him. Today, L'Arche communities are home to people with disabilities and those without, in 35 countries.
I was familiar with Jean Vanier and had read some of his writings. I think these past couple of weeks were the first time I'd heard his spoken voice, and seen so many photos of him. His eyebrows capture some of his essence: extravagance in unexpected places, veering upward and downward at once, arching toward the other.
Jean said, "We shouldn't seek the ideal community. It is a question of loving those whom God has set beside us today. They are signs of God. We might have chosen different people, people who were more cheerful and intelligent. But these are the ones God has given us...It is with them that we are called to create unity and live a covenant."
I keep wanting to say, "Jean Valjean," the protagonist from Les Mis, when thinking about Jean Vanier. The two men undoubtedly share magnanimity of character. And I think Victor Hugo's aphorism, "To love another person is to see the face of God," are words Jean Vanier would wholeheartedly agree with.
