Professional Documents
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Finalintegratedpaperf 16
Finalintegratedpaperf 16
Leo Peters
Fr. Joensen
importance’, or in other words, a sink of faith and determination to which people can pour
into and invest. All three of this courses personalities showed great strength through their
investments in religion as a whole. They put forth work into their desires, thus achieving
strong levels of sacramentality by fulfilling their roles and achieving wholeness and therefore
creating a healthy image of God for those following these three persons. The wellbeing of
god is the wellbeing of the people, whether these people follow him or not. By conjoining the
three concepts of work, wellbeing of god and wellbeing of the people, we get a three way act
I will call the ‘trinity of care’. Although not a legitimate term, Therese, John Paul II and Jean
Vanier understood and frequently performed the ‘trinity of care’. Therese was respected and
loved for her overwhelming determination to display her acts of love towards God. John Paul
II helped us discover the power uniting through hard times and to take pride in our culture,
and Jean Vanier started the community of L’arche as the ultimate symbol of human equality
and communion. Of the three witnesses, none knew better about the wellbeing of people than
Jean Vanier, especially for peoples who have undergone years of neglect and other forms of
abandonment through the lack similarities these individuals shared with the common
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population. Through Vanier’s ultimate understanding of the word ‘communion’ and the
processes/details that revolve around it, he was the most significant and interesting witness to
of love between two people where each one gives and each one receives” (Vanier, p.28).
Vanier exhibits and sees a mature sense of balance in this world through the act of
love, Pope John Paul II’s exceptional value of an individual’s culture and Jean Vanier’s
communion with the suffering, I’ve come to ultimately appreciate and notice the presence
and importance of the three themes sacramentality, mediation and most importantly,
Saint Therese of Lisieux found her calling to god through love. Love was an emotion/
interaction that Therese did not value lightly. Saint Therese of Lisieux was widely renowned
as the witness to heart: The doctor of the church. Christianity resonated within her through
her gradually maturing love of the church and the people who she cared for dearly. Through
her commitment to the ‘little way’ she discovered her calling to represent her religion
through the vocation of love: “Oh Jesus, my love… I have finally found my vocation: My
Vocation is Love!” (SOF, p. 121). With a vocation as powerful as love, one must understand
that love can be found in any action and in any person. Everything Therese did was out of a
conscious act of love for the greater good, for god. This unique and simple yet powerful
mindset is the path of the ‘little way’. There were times where her hopefulness and belief in
the ‘little way’ combined with her mercy as the doctor of the church resulted in believed
miracles; one example was with a man by the name of Henri Pranzini. A criminal who was
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thought to be beyond religious redemption. Receiving the death sentence, Therese thought
god could show this man mercy if she were to perform prayer for forgiveness in his name.
“She did not condemn the man himself. Rather, in the spirit of the Gospel, she prayed
for his conversion . . . Therese found it within her heart to be willing to forgive his
terrible crime.” (William Doino) by being prayerful in all her actions towards Pranzini,
she believed to be responsible for Pranzini’s famous action of kissing the cross before
example of her ever present mercy within everyone. By working towards her desire and
belief that Pranzini could show some form of religious redemption, she believed to maintain
a healthy image of god, resulting in the health and acceptance of those around god.
Much like the hopefulness found in Saint Therese’s wishes for mercy as the doctor of
the church, Pope John Paul II, the witness of hope, was a man who always tried to find ways
to make tightly knit communities which provided freedom to choose one’s own culture and
beliefs. The years that Karol was forced unto manual labor were the years that Karol found
determination in making a difference for the people of Poland; the people which were
oppressed and suppressed culturally by the foundations of communism. Knowing what it felt
like to be part of the oppressed population, as pope, John Paul II knew that he had to bring
the oppressed communities together if there was ever to be a chance or sign of resistance to
the totalitarian community. John Paul II needed the people to engage in communion, to find
something everyone could share similarities over. Despite the internet being introduced after
the totalitarian influence was removed from Poland, John Paul II saw the internet as a
powerful tool which can be used to achieve communion at relatively effortless levels. Of the
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three course themes (sacramentality, communion and mediation), communion could be seen
as the strongest and most prevalent with the presence of the internet. Mentioned from the
internet as a new gateway for the church to encounter and utilize in order to spread the word
of the gospel, saying; “the history of evangelization is not just a matter of geographic
expansion, for the Church has also had to cross many cultural thresholds, each of which
called for fresh energy and imagination in proclaiming the one Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
(PCCS). The positive thoughts John Paul II shared on the internet only further proved his
great respect for the importance of the course theme of communion. Understanding the
power of united efforts due to his past regarding WWII, I genuinely believe John Paul II to
With Jean Vanier being the founder of L’arche, he found it very fundamental for his
mutual, mutual belonging; it is the to-and-fro movement of love between two people where
each one gives and each one receives” (Vanier, p.28). I found his definition of communion to
be the perfect description of how I saw both Saint Therese and John Paul II view
communion. The to-and-fro movement of love is the strength which Therese would focus on,
whereas the mutual belonging and companionship would be the strengths John Paul II would
see in the concept of communion. When it came to Vanier, although he did indeed recognize
communion in its most broad of definitions, he also came to understand the concept of
communion in a differently exercised fashion from most. Choosing to protect and support the
physically and mentally impaired as his vocation, he has learnt that communion also requires
the ability to be open. The ability to take on whatever truths come up during the
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liberation for both, indeed, where both are allowed to be themselves, where both are called to
grow in greater freedom…” (Vanier, p.28). Vanier views the ability to grow comfortably a
key part to a healthy individual. Dealing with people who were commonly neglected growing
in their youth, he can clearly see the void of human contact and love in the people he works
with at L’arche. Without anyone to be open and free to, they grow up living their lives in
solitude. In fear of rejection if they show too much of their hidden truths. This is why
relies on the communication and acceptance of others. Anyone who grows up with a lack of
proper communion (whether it be from their family or friends) can be seen as neglected
growing up. Something that Vanier stresses on preventing for people in such situations, and
continues to work on opening others up to the idea of communion who have been afraid and
With all three of the witnesses mentioned and explained in their works; Saint Therese,
Pope John Paul II and Jean Vanier, it is easy to see the great word they have given god and
Christianity in general. All three symbolizing the essential roots of what it takes to be
religious leaders leading by example. From a perspective of a witness, (as I’ve come to
believe over the course of the semester) a witness must be able to provide/ become a strong
source of faith in order to help others make sense of god, the human person and the world
through a catholic perspective. The most successful way to instill faith into the others around
you through a witness’s perspective would be through the witness theme of communion.
Communion, by definition of the witness themes glossary of themes and terms, “communion
is the mutual bond that exists among persons in relation who entrust themselves to one
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another. This bond allows persons to realize goods within them and beyond them that they
would not otherwise be able to achieve” (WTG, p.2). Similarly to Jean Vanier’s definition of
communion, by combining both definitions of communion, we can see the main words used
to describe communion are ‘mutualism’ and ‘trust’. The concept of sharing a commonality
with one another and using that to build trust off one another.
of the Carmel possessed the qualities of a contemplative order through the focus of prayer
and boundary limitations within the church by becoming cloistered. Although mainly shut
off from others, she was able to relate with those following the order of the Carmel
mutualism of religious interest. Creating trust with one another as a result. Therese was the
witness who made sense of god by understanding his actions through mercy and using the
trust developed by communion share her thoughts of processes such as the ‘little way’ and
the prayerfulness and mercy for even the worst of criminals. Therese never did truly
understand god’s actions. Receiving her illness and early death as a token of love but also
fear that she was not accepted by him either. The bringing together of the order of the Carmel
in hopes of her regain to health and the lack understanding and mysteriousness of god’s
actions towards Therese’s health matches how communion is viewed through the
understanding of god as the trinity: “The Trinity is the communion of persons in the one
being who is God; the Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life—the mystery
of God in himself: God is a living, eternal event, a community of self-giving love and
Jean Vanier as a witness through his work shows that God is merciful, offering
humans reconciliation, life, and beatitude as sheer grace that is not merited by sinful
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humanity. With Jean Vanier being the founder of L’arche, he found it very fundamental for
his communities to be able to perform and respect the actions of communion: “Communion
is mutual, mutual belonging; it is the to-and-fro movement of love between two people
where each one gives and each one receives” (Vanier, p.28). Tying in to my experience at the
Hills and Dales care center, I found his definition of communion to be the perfect description
of how I saw the residents and staff interact with each other. Each and every person had a
role which they embraced, they all felt a strong sense of belonging, and just by doing so
communion was achieved. It was a communion different from Therese’s order of the Carmel
or the banding together of the Polish people by Pope John Paul II. This communion
possessed god’s mercy and human reconciliation. Throwing aside impairments and
disabilities to provide as respectful beings and strengthening our understanding of the human
being through a Catholic sense. My experience at Hills and Dales wasn’t exactly a religious
experience of any sense. It was a time where I was able to understand and relate communion
through a non-religious context. If one does not accept their role in a community such as
Hills and Dales, finding it cumbersome or unimportant, communion will be hard to achieve
like it was for Kathleen Berken: “listen to broken, unintelligible speech and tend to weak
hearts and understand limited abilities, and teach me patience while I’m doing it, then, God,
you’re doing a fantastic job” (WRD, p.23). Here Kathleen Berken struggles to find her role
in the L’arche community that she was enrolled into and shows it to the reader through a
strong presence of sarcastic comments in the direction of god. Her lack of respect for the
residents and impatient mindset led her to have a hard time embracing communion through a
sense of embracing god’s mercy and reconciliation. I found her openness about her initial
ranging from moderate to severe. It requires a sort of unique perspective on life and a
complete embrace of overall differences. A bare skin interaction. A strong sense of trust and
mutualism.
Another example of showing initiative and utilization of the witness themes would be
when John Paul II decided to transform a place originally labelled a Diocesan Museum
established in 1906 into “the cathedral museum” in 1975 where objects from the Wawel
Cathedral could be kept and displayed for those in religious interest. Relating to two of the
three witness themes, the creation of this museum correlated strongly with the theme of
important and memorable events in the past, and using the historic value of the museum to
bring people together through memories of the past. With John Paul II opening and blessing
this museum on September 28, 1978, I understood his motives as an attempt to help enforce
sacramentality and communion towards the cathedral church. To help enforce the religion
through display and respect of important and memorable religious artifacts which provide
important meaning and have the ability to bring back memories which deserve recognition in
the past. “The Cathedral Museum exhibits feature the most precious objects from the
Cathedral treasury, including Polish royal regalia, noteworthy paintings and sculptures, and
memorabilia from John Paul II’s years as archbishop” (COS, p.132), we can see and confirm
John Paul II’s efforts in bringing back respect and instill faith upon the culture to help
When it comes to the Catholic understanding of the world, one must understand the
interaction between the human and god. The significance of the Incarnation and Paschal
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Mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection is the ultimate defining factor and piece of
evidence of god’s will and god’s ability. “The mediation of salvation . . . always originates in
God. ‘For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race,
Jesus Christ, himself human’” (WTG, p.3). With Jesus being the witness to god, as he is the
son of god, his resurrection through the Paschal Mystery was a sign that god himself is a
mediator. He controls the extremes of mediation: Life and death. Through the eyes of the
trinity, seeing Jesus and god as well, Jesus by definition then becomes the ultimate mediator.
identifies with those who he represents, as a person, he aims to relate with those around him
even though he has supernatural ties with god. He does not signify only himself, and he is
willing to sacrifice on behalf of those whom he represents, his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus
was the mediator between the human being and god, defining the world through a catholic
viewpoint.
Overall, the most compelling witness of the three is Jean Vanier. His ultimate
acceptance and understanding of the human mind and psyche helps him view situations from
multiple perspectives. With his area of work dealing with people who have been tormented
for their disabilities and impairments, he has come to be fond of the word ‘forgiveness’ and
what it entails for both perspectives; the tormented and the oppressor: “Forgiveness is
unilateral. It begins as the victim, with new-found strength… Forgiveness is then to have
hope for the oppressors, to believe in their humanity hidden under all their brokenness.”
(Vanier, p.144) This powerful segment further proves Jean Vanier’s ability to view everyone
views them as broken with hidden humanity. This view he possesses ultimately says that he
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gives everyone a chance at redemption much like Saint Therese. Unlike many, he took action
whenever he felt feelings of pity or empathy for those who were neglected due to their
physical and mental impairments. With Jean Vanier being labeled as the witness of humanity
for his passion and hard work towards the initiation and maintenance of the communities of
L’arche. His vocation: to care for those in need of respectful and loving human contact
resulted him in receiving the title as a person who deeply understands what it means to be
human on a very vulnerable and open level. A strength Jean Vanier most definitely
possessed. Taking the VIA character strengths survey earlier this year, I was able to
recognize my strengths, being loyalty, kindness, team-work and critical thinking. Comparing
our strengths with each other as a class, it was easy to find differences in strengths amongst
our peers, helping me realize how people are ultimately different due to the different
strengths they possessed/ had absent. With strengths in loyalty and team-work, it is clear to
see why I am a team sport player. Whereas for Jean Vanier, with strengths in perspective,
mercy and generosity, it is clear to see why he started the community of L’arche and take on
the care of impaired individuals as his vocation. Vocation can be seen as a title. A title one
is something you want to dedicate yourself to and become affiliated with. Doctors dedicate
push their selves. A vocation is a hobby or calling of one’s strengths to commit to, and, as a
result, society gives you a title for that commitment. When it comes to offering myself and
Jean Vanier to persons of good will, although the catholic intentions are valuable, it is not an
important factor of whether these people are catholic or not. When it comes to building a
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“civilization of love” it is important to be open and ready to embrace others through a sense
of communion. When Vanier established L’arche, it made out of the acceptance of the fact
that not everyone is born in the same way. That some people can have differences and that it
is important that we do not change our ways of how we embrace the people with differences
vs. the people who share more similarities. Love is having the ability to be open with others
and having the ability to be comfortable as yourself. To have the freedom to grow and adapt
to one’s own desires. To be forced to change through neglect and hide differences that result
Works Cited:
22, 2016
(SOF) - King, Heather. Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
(Vanier) - Vanier, Jean. Becoming Human. New York: Paulist, 1998. Print.
(COS) - Weigel, George, Carrie Gress, and Stephen Weigel. City of Saints: A
Pilgrimage to John Paul II's Kraków. New York: Image, 2015. Print.