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LDA 129: Servant and shepherd: authority in L'Arche
Where can we find authority which will bring each person to freedom? Experience shows that there is no definitive recipe, bringing guaranteed results. Perhaps, this is not surprising, given the great diversity of human life. But even if we don’t have the whole recipe, it seems clear that certain ingredients are indispensable... Read...
Letters of L'Arche 128: Towards a more human society, our contribution
"I came to L’Arche because I needed others. (...) We all need each other - the patients and myself. The core members can help others as well. Everyone can do something. If everyone can do something the world will be better." Read...
Letters of L'Arche 127: Community, "a tapestry of relationships"
Is L’Arche a community or a federation of communities? What exactly is a community? There are as many answers to that question as there are individuals and cultures. Read...
Letters of L'Arche 126: Kolkata '08
About four years ago, I met a man. He wore a boyish smile, cheeky look in his eyes, quite outspoken. An attentive listener. We had a cup of coffee in some Paris café. Some weeks later, not far from the same café, I met a woman. She was considerate with me, and yet open at the same time. She was clear and concise, intuitive, and one of those people who see right into your heart.
Some months later, I wrote my first editorial for this magazine. Soon, the man and the woman would begin their second term of a job that seemed, then, to be quite a load - a workload, a personal load, a challenge. About six weeks ago, the two of them entered the last phase of what will eventually add up to twelve years of responsibility in the Federation. More determined than nervous this time, looking forward to the upcoming end and yet full of projects and visions, and, more than anything, still committed, very committed to L’Arche, ‘their soil’ – to use Jean-Christophe’s word.
One should not write an editorial for personal reasons, but as this is my last editorial, as this is a special Kolkata ’08 edition, as the Federation has lived through some special moments in preparation for Kolkata ’08, and as it is entering a stage of growth and change, well, I must use this space to thank Jean-Christophe and Christine.
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Letters of L'Arche 125: Commitment
"We do not have to be saviours of the world! We are simply human beings, enfolded in weakness and in hope, called together to change our world one heart at a time." (Jean Vanier, Becoming Human, p.163) Read...
Letters of L'Arche 124: International
What does ‘international’ mean? A brainstorming:
Inter-national = between nations. I think of politics, globalisation, economics or law. A bit dry, don’t you think? Well, let’s dream a bit: culture, languages, difference, adventure, discovery, travelling, and civilisations! But my mind casts away my dreams and I notice that ‘international’ is a challenging matter: union, humanity, universality, spirituality face fundamentalism, wars, chocks and ideologies. On a personal level, we are invited to confront our habits, customs and traditions with difference, the unknown and incomprehension. Not an easy subject. And if we returned to our dreams: faces, meetings, conversation, awakening…
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Letters of L'Arche 123: Relationships
Relationships! Not an easy topic. The word purports to be light and fun and cosy. And yet, it can also be synonym for confusion, fear, and pain. It invites us to proximity and intimacy, and yet, it can be source of distance and conflict. We are in the realm of persons, personality and psychology, but also of groups, cultures and sociology. At L’Arche – and elsewhere – we certainly add God, spirituality and theology to this list. We let our hearts and our bodies speak, and at the same time, numerous researchers of all types of academic disciplines have used their minds so that we may understand in part, at least, what heart and body are going through. Read...
Letters of L'Arche 122: A community of faith
“It is my relationship with people, my life in the community. It is everything about life.” (Christine McGrievy, France)
“Our spirituality is not based on intellectual belief or strict adherence to institutional rules, but on our relationship with God and each other,” (Jason Greig, Canada)
“In fact, living together with others is synonymous with spirituality; sharing life is synonymous with community of faith, which we endeavour to create.” (Rafael Téllez Morales, Mexico)
Though they are using different words, L’Arche members from around the world seem to have the same intuition about what is essential in a community of faith. Whether in L’Arche or another community, for example, the St Martin community in Kenya, there is one central notion – relationships.
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Letters of L'Arche 121: Bringing our story alive
“Inculturation” is one of the principles of our Constitution, a term which has been part of L’Arche for a long time but which continues to be a concept that is difficult to grasp. The Identity and Mission process has highlighted the importance of the authenticity of L’Arche, but it has also shown the need to be in relationship to those around us, , to be true to ourselves and open to others, to question and to be questioned. Today, we are looking for a common understanding of what the Constitution describes as “inculturation”, a controversial terminology, due to its origins and its connotations, both within and outside of L’Arche. Read...
Letters of L'Arche 120: Embracing change
What is a source of joy for some is a source of fear for others. While the second are worried about change, the first worry about stagnation. Change, be it personal or organisational, is generally welcomed with a strange mix of enthusiasm, fatalism and resistance. Read...
Letters of L'Arche 119: People first
These points “(…) may appear somewhat disjointed… not unlike the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They are stones carefully placed to ford the river… certainly not the entire bridge.” Read...
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The Letters of L'Arche is a magazine published by the International Federation of L'Arche Communities three times a year. The Letters of L’Arche is published in English and French. Read...