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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...