Letter of Jean Vanier to his friends - April 2012

20/04/2012

Dear Friends,

I am in a small monastery of the Greek Catholic rite here in Bethlehem, where there are just 7 contemplative sisters, two of whom used to be at L’Arche. The wall which separates Palestine and Israel crosses through the monastery garden; it is the wall of fear, the wall of hate, a symbol of all the walls which surround our own hearts. Even if I no longer travel, I did want to make this journey with Odile, for two reasons. To give a little retreat to these seven sisters (as well as to the Little Sisters of Jesus in Palestine) at the foot of this wall. They are indeed a symbol of hope in our world, where often hatred dominates love, despair dominates hope, and where the welcome of difference is absent. Read...