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This is a story about the capacity of a small and broken child to awaken depths of awareness and compassion in another person who has the potential to transform. In the simplicity of the encounter between the bishop and Armando, Vanier points to the mystery of communion. This exchange of love between persons illumines a dynamic at the heart of that complex process of change and growth that is referred to in the Christian tradition by the Greek word metanoia and points to the potential of transformation in and through communion with another.
Clearly, there are many complex social, cultural, and psychological factors involved in fully understanding the process of spiritual transformation in communion. The story of Armando and Vanier's interpretation of it are intended to highlight that experience of change that is judged to be essential in the context of L’Arche communities. This is the experience of a change of heart, an awakening of tenderness and compassion in the presence of suffering, brokenness, and weakness. Vanier describes this process as one of “interior liberation,” which he characterizes as the freedom to love and be loved. It is the experience and interpretation of this process that constitutes the main focus of this book.
The choice of L’Arche as the locus and laboratory for reflection on transformation is based on my years of association with this community and ministry to both persons with disabilities and the “assistants” who choose to share their lives with them in the spirit of the Gospel. The charter of L’Arche reflects a spirituality based on the Beatitudes, where life together with the “poor” is understood to be not only a form of charitable service, volunteer ministry, or social solidarity, but also a source of