Community

Each new community is called forth by God, as he inspires a particular man or woman or a group of people to respond to a specific cry or need of humanity at one particular moment of history. This cry can be very obvious: the cry of the dying in the streets of Calcutta or of the street kids in New York or of people with physical and mental handicaps. Or else it can be a more hidden cry: the need of the sixth-century Church for oases of prayer, the need of the thirteenth-century Church in Assisi for communities close to the poor. There is a cry hidden in the heart of God, of the Church and of the saints to give life. And finally, there are the hidden tears of the rich floundering in their wealth and the pain of their selfishness, emptiness, illusions, error and sinfulness, as they search for meaning. Each new community with its founder has a specific charism, gift and mission, responding to a particular cry for help, for recognition and for love.

By Jean Vanier, Community and Growth