On the Human Person

“The fourth aspect of love is celebration,” writes Vanier. “It is not enough to reveal to people their value, to understand and care for them. To love people is also to celebrate them. . . . [E]very child, every person, needs to know that they are a source of joy; every child, every person, needs to be celebrated.”

The fifth aspect of love, according to Vanier, is empowerment. He writes “It is not just a question of doing things for others but of helping them to do things for themselves, helping them to discover the meaning of their lives. To love is to empower.”

Two things worth mentioning here: first, when Vanier says “them” he is not only talking about those who have intellectual and physical disabilities. He is talking about each of us and all of us. Each person is worthy and in need of being empowered. Secondly, power in and of itself is neutral. But we all know that there is a great danger personally, socially, globally to misuse and abuse power. So there needs to be discernment in our use of power. The gospel of Jesus calls us to use power in a counter-intuitive and counter-cultural way. In the vision and life of Jesus, true power, the power of the Holy Spirit is always power in service to love, power in service to the good of others. Real power is power that is subservient to that which enlives, to “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable” (Ph. 4: 8).

A great image for the efficacious use of power is that of the MIDWIFE. Not merely “the assistants” in the l’Arche communities but all of us are called to and capable of being midwives – capable and called to “to bring forth and help foster life, to let it develop and grow according to its own natural rhythm.” Each person is called to grow and mature as only she or he can mature and develop. But as companions of one another, we have the joy and duty to be midwives to this human flourishing.

peace be with you friend,

Dan