In April 2008, Jean Vanier led a simple retreat in Nyahururu, Kenya, a place recently shattered by violence between people, and bloodshed. People there were shaken. With frequent reference to the Gospel of John, this book comprises the talks that Vanier gave:

What Are You Looking For?
The Cry of the Poor
The Feast Is Ready
To Live in Unity
Be Open
Encountering the Other
The Washing of the Feet

“His powerful message and practice of love has the potential to change the world.”
-Jennifer Simpson, granddaughter of Sir John Templeton, announcing award of the 2015 Templeton Prize to Vanier

“Jean Vanier brings you in touch with a place inside yourself that few people have reached.”
-Henri J. M. Nouwen

“He opens our eyes and touches our hearts in speaking to us about the Savior.”
-Rev. Rawley Myers, author, Daily Reflections with Jesus

“Jean Vanier is a spiritual friend on the journey of life.”
-Sue Mosteller, Henri Nouwen Literary Center

“The witness and teachings of Jean Vanier have never been so necessary.”
-Michael W. Higgins, author, Jean Vanier: Logician of the Heart

“I am a broken man like all human beings, but I also know that Jesus loves me and that he is calling me to grow. This is the experience of being loved in my brokenness and therein lies the incredible gentleness of our God. We all have to discover the point of our brokenness because that is precisely the place where we are the beloved.
Sometimes we hide behind the idea that we are better than others. We have to discover that none of us is better, that we are all children of God…
God has a desire to bring people together in love. There are two fundamental things that Jesus came to reveal to us. First, God is a lover. God loves. Second, this incredible, gentle, and tender God is in love with each one of us. Each person is precious to God and together we are to build a community where we love each other.” —from the book

Jean Vanier is a philosopher, theologian, and man of letters with great heart and compassion. He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2015. Past recipients include Archbishop Desmond Tutu and H.H. the Dalai Lama. The first L’Arche Community was started in 1964 in Trosly-Breuil, a village in the north of Paris when Vanier invited two people with intellectual disabilities to live with him in a small house. This house he named L’Arche, French for “The Ark,” a name then adopted by all communities around the world that have been founded on these principles. Today, L’Arche is made up of 151 communities spread over five continents.

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