The struggle between a closed religion and an open one is the struggle of many people. A closed religion accentuates rituals and dogmas - it gives a form of security. An open religion accentuates love for people, and implies a certain insecurity and vulnerability.
That struggle is mine, maybe yours as well. It is not easy for you to be with Walker at certain moments. It is not always easy for me to be with some people with disabilities. We are all so vulnerable in love that we don't always know how to love.
Some people insist that many of the people who believe in Jesus are closed up, and that their churches have done terrible things. They are right. But there are also many Christians who truly love Jesus and his message, who have tried to live this unconditional love.
At one point, you speak about the "real" world - the world of those addicted to success and to promotion. But isn't the real world also those who are angry with this closed society, and are addicted to drugs, violence and gangs? Isn't the real world also all those who are between the world of social success and the world of depression, trying to bring the two together?
The real world is people with hearts and minds yearning to find a meaning to their lives. We are all in this struggle.
Many people in our rich societies struggle between individual freedom and the need for exciting experiences, on one side, and growth to responsibility through belonging, on the other. Individual freedom can create anguish and depression. Closed belonging can bring security, but stifles individual freedom.
We in L'Arche are struggling to find that harmony between freedom and belonging, between competence and spirituality. We still have a long way to go, but we are on the road, which we hope will lead to greater trust in our human family, and greater peace and unity in our world.
Thank you, Ian, for your letter. Thank you for coming to L'Arche. And thank you for being a journalist. Our world needs people to speak out and reveal truths that sometimes are hidden and swept under the carpet.
Jean Vanier
The correspondence continues next month.
