March 18, 2011 Friday: Daring to Trust and Let Go of Power
Daring to Trust and to Let Go of Power
To be holy and to be whole. To find one's own unity inside of oneself, to find unity so that we're not just in the head or just in the flesh, not just in the heart; that inner wholeness is a type of peace and wisdom. And we need wisdom.
For me the whole question of peace-making is centered on trust. Trust that you are important, that you are precious, that you have something important to give to the world, to give to me. If we don't believe we are precious, what happens? We have anguish.
For me, the message of the Gospel is that each one of us has a gift to give; each one is precious; each one needs to be loved and to belong.
The fundamental principle of peace is a belief that each person is important. Even if you cannot speak, even if you cannot walk, even if you've been abandoned, you have a gift to give to the other. Do you believe you are important?
Sometimes those of us who have more power, more money, more time or more knowledge bend down to those who have less power, less knowledge or less wealth; there is a movement from the 'superior' to the 'inferior'. When people are generous they are in control. You can imagine someone in the street falling down and you going to help that person to get up. Then something happens. As you listen to that person you become friends. Perhaps you discover that he or she is living in squalor and has little money. You are not just being generous, you are entering into a relationship, which will change your life. You are no longer in control. You have become vulnerable; you have come to love that person. You have listened to her story. You have been touched by that incredible, beautiful person who has lived something incredibly difficult. You are no longer in control, you are no longer just the generous one, you have become vulnerable. You have become a friend.
In the heart of Christ there is a yearning to bring people together to meet as friends. To make that move from generosity to communion of hearts will imply a new way of living. It will imply a transformation, because we will have lost power.
-Jean Vanier, from Encountering 'The Other'
To be holy and to be whole. To find one's own unity inside of oneself, to find unity so that we're not just in the head or just in the flesh, not just in the heart; that inner wholeness is a type of peace and wisdom. And we need wisdom.
For me the whole question of peace-making is centered on trust. Trust that you are important, that you are precious, that you have something important to give to the world, to give to me. If we don't believe we are precious, what happens? We have anguish.
For me, the message of the Gospel is that each one of us has a gift to give; each one is precious; each one needs to be loved and to belong.
The fundamental principle of peace is a belief that each person is important. Even if you cannot speak, even if you cannot walk, even if you've been abandoned, you have a gift to give to the other. Do you believe you are important?
Sometimes those of us who have more power, more money, more time or more knowledge bend down to those who have less power, less knowledge or less wealth; there is a movement from the 'superior' to the 'inferior'. When people are generous they are in control. You can imagine someone in the street falling down and you going to help that person to get up. Then something happens. As you listen to that person you become friends. Perhaps you discover that he or she is living in squalor and has little money. You are not just being generous, you are entering into a relationship, which will change your life. You are no longer in control. You have become vulnerable; you have come to love that person. You have listened to her story. You have been touched by that incredible, beautiful person who has lived something incredibly difficult. You are no longer in control, you are no longer just the generous one, you have become vulnerable. You have become a friend.
In the heart of Christ there is a yearning to bring people together to meet as friends. To make that move from generosity to communion of hearts will imply a new way of living. It will imply a transformation, because we will have lost power.
-Jean Vanier, from Encountering 'The Other'
