L’ARCHE FOUNDER JEAN VANIER DIES AT 90

After an extraordinarily full day of meetings and a Mass in Skopje, North Macedonia, Pope Francis is due back in Rome at 8:30 pm, Rome time, tonight, ending his three days in Bulgaria and North Macedonia. He will preside at the general audience tomorrow in St. Peter’s Square. After two days of rain and very strong winds that ravaged many parts of Italy, we have brilliant sunshine today and are praying that the good weather holds for the audience tomorrow.

On another topic – the death of L’Arche founder Jean Vanier: I became more aware of the work of Jean Vanier with and for the disabled when a nephew of mine, a twin, was found to be disabled. Christopher died in November 2001 at the age of 20 of double pneumonia. He was never self-sufficient nor did he ever speak a word in his life but all of who knew and loved him felt he knew us. Just watching him smile at me when I entered a room and hugged him – I saw it as recognition – was a reward beyond words. I spent as much time as I could with him in his early years and until the family moved from San Diego to Oregon. No doctor ever defined Christopher’s disability, and only one said he remotely had austistic tendencies. In any case, Jean Vanier was a magnificent pioneer in working with the disabled.

L’ARCHE FOUNDER JEAN VANIER DIES AT 90

Jean Vanier has died at the age of 90. He spent his whole life giving hope to suffering people: “The message of the Gospel, he said, is to become men and women of compassion. If you become a man or a woman of compassion, you will be like Jesus.”

Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche (1964), a community which supports people with disabilities, died during the night, aged 90. The community is active all over the world with about 150 centers. Vanier had been suffering from cancer and was assisted at a L’Arche facility in Paris.

Pope Francis was informed of his death and the interim director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, said the Pope “prays for him and for the whole L’Arche community.” Jean Vanier had met with Pope Francis on March 21, 2014, calling him a man of smiles and encounter.

Born in Geneva on September 10, 1928, Vanier, a former officer in the Canadian Navy, also co-founded the movement “Foi et Lumiere” (Faith and Light) in 1971. He was a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and in 2015 received the Templeton Prize, one of the highest awards given every year to personalities from the religious world.

The words of Jean Vanier: the disabled, great witnesses of God
“Our mission – said Jean Vanier in an interview with Vatican Radio (see video below) – is to encounter a world of extreme weakness, poverty and suffering, people who have often been rejected… L’Arche is a place of reconciliation where people of very different religions and cultures can meet and this transforms the lives of people with disabilities, but also transforms the volunteers. L’Arche, after all, is a place of celebration where the aim is for everyone to be happy (…) We want to be a sign of the importance of people with disabilities, because they have a message to give, but few know it: they, in fact, were chosen to be the great witnesses of God.”

People with disabilities lead us to God
On the occasion of being awarded the Templeton Prize, again in an interview with Vatican Radio, Jean Vanier said: “This prize draws attention to people with disabilities, and this is important. In fact, the particular aspect of L’Arche, as well as Faith and Light, is the revelation that people with mental disabilities are super people!”

Whoever has compassion for the other is similar to Jesus
Jean Vanier recalled the importance of living together: “I believe strongly that today it is necessary to create communities that live the values of the Gospel: to live together, to live the Beatitudes and to discover that the life of the Beatitudes, the life of the Gospel can be lived very simply by living together. The message of the Gospel is to become men and women of compassion. If you become a man or a woman of compassion, you will be like Jesus.”

The Gospel of Joy
In another interview Jean Vanier emphasized the importance of joy: “I think the whole vision of evangelization is joyful, because we have received the Good News! The world is not only a world of violence, but the Word made flesh, God came to tell us something. God loves humanity, God is present. This does not mean that there is no struggle against evil. There is violence in the world; there is violence in me and in all of us. But Jesus is stronger and we keep the hope that He will help us.” (source; vaticannews.va)

For video: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-05/l-arche-founder-jean-vanier-dies-at-90.html

PAPAL AUDIENCE: THE SICK AND DISABLED, THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

PAPAL AUDIENCE: THE SICK AND DISABLED, THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Ahead of the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis greeted sick and disabled people, saying God has a special place in His heart for people with a disability.

Pope Francis made a special stop in the air-conditioned Paul VI Hall on Wednesday to greet sick and disabled people, giving a warm welcome to the “Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative of the Americas” group and praying for the spiritual outcome of their pilgrimage to Rome.

“Dear friends,” said Francis, “I offer a warm welcome to the group from the ‘Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative of the Americas’. I pray that your pilgrimage – ‘A Time to Walk with Jesus’ – will help you to grow in love for Christ and for one another. The Lord has a special place in his heart for those with any kind of disability, and so does the Successor of Saint Peter! I hope that your time in Rome will be spiritually enriching and strengthen your witness to God’s love for all his children. As you continue your journey, I ask you please remember to pray for me. May Almighty God richly bless you all!”

Afterwards, outside in a sun-blessed St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father continued his new catechesis on the Ten Commandments.

“In our continuing catechesis on the commandments,” he began, “we now consider the text of the Decalogue, the ten commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The text begins with the words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery’ (Ex 20:2). God first identifies himself as our God, the God whose love sets us free from all that enslaves us.”

Francis explained that, “these words show that God’s ‘commands’ are really an invitation to respond with gratitude to his saving love, a love disclosed fully in the coming of Jesus his Son. Gratitude to God for his many gifts, and willingness to accept his offer of love, are at the heart of the Christian moral life; they inspire us to heed God’s words and obey his commands.”

The Pope then paused in his catechesis, leaving aside his prepared remarks, and he asked everyone to be silent for a moment and to think about all the reasons in their own lives that they have reason to be grateful to God.

Continuing his text, the Pope said, “If our obedience to God’s law is servile, mere legalism, then, like the ancient Israelites, we should cry out in prayer to be released from that slavery and to enjoy the freedom of God’s beloved children in Christ. God wants to break every chain that binds us, so that, in loving obedience to his will, we can enjoy true freedom and life in abundance.”

After the catechesis on the commandments, Pope Francis welcomed a delegation from the “Special Olympics” organization: “I extend a special welcome to the delegation from the Special Olympics organization on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. The world of sport offers a particular opportunity for people to grow in mutual understanding and friendship, and I pray that this Olympic Flame may be a sign of joy and hope in the Lord who bestows the gifts unity and peace on his children. Upon all who support the aims of the Special Olympics, I willingly invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.”
(source: Vaticannews)

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY SYMPOSIUM “LIVING FULLY 2016” COMMENCES IN ROME

Perhaps you’ve read what I’ve previously written about this conference and perhaps even heard my interview with Cris Gangemi, director of The Kairos Forum, on my weekend radio program. “Vatican Insider.” Time allowing, I will be present at a session or two of this very important four-day conference, explained in the following news release today from The Kairos Forum.

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY SYMPOSIUM “LIVING FULLY 2016” COMMENCES IN ROME

The international disability events “Living Fully 2016” began today in Rome with an academic symposium. The events were officially opened by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.  The four days will be a celebration of disability, culture and faith.  Theologians and practitioners in the field of disability – both physical and intellectual, are gathering from the four corners of the globe to share their knowledge, insights and experience to foster greater engagement in Church communities far and wide. The event is pioneered by The Kairos Forum, a Caritas member disability organisation in the UK.  Cristina Gangemi, director was delighted when the Pontifical Council for Culture offered to be co Patron of this unique event.

“We are enormously grateful to Cardinal Ravasi for his practical support thus enabling this event to become a reality.  We hope that the outcome will be a greater awareness and positive culture, that faith communities of belonging for all abilities can be a reality. Our collective experience demonstrates how enriching these inclusive communities are – both practically and spiritually.”

Speakers at the symposium and conference include Professor Hans Reinders and Reverend Bill Gaventa, both longstanding scholars in disability theology.  Sr. Veronica Donatello Director of The Office of Disability and Catechesis at C.E. Katie Toone, communications Director, will speak on the topic of Pope Francis’ recent quote “Everybody or Nobody.”  Exploring the spectrum of disability, Fr Bill Braviner who serves an Anglican parish on Teeside and David Lucas of Disability & Jesus, will speak about disability within the context of faith.

The website:  www.livingfully2016.com