One of the greatest Catholics, as well as one of the greatest human beings of this or any age, died this week: Jean Vanier.\u00a0 When people look back on our time, he will be one of the greatest figures towering over the wreckage we have made of it.\u00a0 As people reckon the first century as the \u201ctime of Christ\u201d and not as the \u201ctime of Tiberius\u201d, and speak of the 13th century as the Age of Aquinas and not of Frederick Barbarossa, so may they look back to the time of this giant and recall that, for all the failures of our culture and our Church, still it could claim him as one of its children (though of course, he was first and foremost a child of God and that is why he was able to oppose our insane age with his goodness).\u00a0 And I have no doubt that in his love and charity, he is praying for us, unworthy as we are of his prayers.<\/p>\n
I have very little I can say to or about Jean Vanier that does not sound like foolish prattle.\u00a0 He was, at bottom, a disciple of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 His life is inexplicable apart from his relationship with Jesus.\u00a0 And that is what it was: a relationship.\u00a0 Jesus was not, for him, a subject or topic.\u00a0 He was a living person with whom Jean was vitally engaged on a moment-by-moment basis as his Lord.\u00a0 His treatment of other people\u2013and above all of the least of these\u2013was utterly related to his relationship with the Christ who is in those other people.\u00a0 The beauty of it\u2013of him\u2013brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it.\u00a0 I owe him a personal debt because I have a friend who was one of those gifted and graced with Down syndrome and given the joy of encounter with a L\u2019Arche Community here in Seattle.<\/p>\n
I weep for our loss in losing Monsieur Vanier, but not for him.\u00a0 If there was ever a human being I have believed instantly walked into the beatific vision and heard, \u201cWell done, thou good and faithful\u201d, it is Jean Vanier.<\/p>\n