From Brokenness to Community

"To have a mission means to give life, to heal, and to liberate. It is to permit people to grow to freedom. When Jesus sends people off, he sends them to liberate and to heal others. That is the good news. And we can become people of liberation and of healing because we ourselves are walking along that road to inner healing and inner liberation. Jesus calls his disciples to bear much fruit. 'If you bear much fruit, you shall be my disciples, and bring glory to the Father.' To bear fruit is to bring life to people. Not to judge, not to condemn, but to forgive. It is to remove our neighbor's burden. Remember those last words of Christ: 'Father, forgive.' Essentially, a community is based on forgiveness and signs of forgiveness. It is not a group of people condemning or judging outsiders; it is not a people of violence. It is a people who trust that if their hearts are given to God, he will defend them." - Jean Vanier