The Heart of L'Arche: A Spirituality for Every Day

People who know the Bible story of Lazarus and the rich man will discover the story of a rich man who invited Lazarus into his home.Jean Vanier was the well-to-do son of a politically influential French Canadian family who became a university professor. In response to a call from God, he moved to a tiny French village, bought a small stone house, and invited two men with cognitive disabilities to live with him. Living with these two men, he discovered his own "disabilities of the heart." He discovered that love and forgiveness did not come easily for him, and that anger did.Out of this experience grew a vision and a worldwide network of faith communities founded in the principle that each person has an important role to play in society and in community. In fact, as the people of L'Arche have discovered, it is quite often through those who are usually rejected or overlooked that the most important gifts come.