The Scandal of Service: Jesus Washes Our Feet

by Jean Vanier

A beautiful meditation on the nature of those less fortunate, The Scandal ofService reflects on what Jesus did at the Last Supper when he laid his outerclothing aside and washed and dried the feet of his disciples. Vanier pursuesthe connection of this gesture of humility and service to Jesus' actions withthe bread and wine.

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Jean Vanier was educated in England and Canada, entered the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England in 1942. He went to sea in 1945 in the Royal Navy and in 1947 transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. He resigned from the Royal Canadian Navy in 1950 while serving H.M.C.S. Magnificent. He then went to France to work in a students' community outside of Paris. He studied philosophy and theology and obtained a Doctorate from the Catholic Institute in Paris.

At various times in his life, Vanier has been a(n)
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Reviews

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It is a short book that reflects on the meaning of Jesus washing the disciples feet. While Vanier illustrates this with stories from L'Arche, this is not just about disability ministry. This book has as much to say about leadership as it does about how we treat people with disabilities.

[Miriam]

"Milovať niekoho neznamená v prvom rade pre neho niečo robiť. Znamená to pomáhať mu objavovať vlastnú krásu, jedinečnosť, svetlo skryté v jeho srdci a zmysel jeho života. Láska tomuto človeku prináša nádej a tá zas túžbu žiť a rásť." s. 7.

"To love someone does not mean first of all to do things for that person; it means helping her to discover her own beauty, uniqueness, the light hidden in her heart and the meaning of her life."
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"Bezmocní a bezbranní ľudia prebúdzajú tie najkrajšie a najpozitívnejšie vlastnosti silnejších, mocnejších: vyzývajú ich k súcitu, k "inteligentnej" láske, nie iba k citom. Ti, ktorí sú slabí, pomáhajú tých schopnejším objaviť ich ľudskosť, zanechať súperiaci svet a svoju energiu venovať službe lásky, spravodlivosti a pokoja. Slabí učia silných vnútorne prijať slabostia prehry života, ktoré často skrývajú za maskou." s. 5-6.
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Na konci života budeme súdení z toho, ako veľmi sme milovali, a nie z toho, ...akú úlohu, či postavenie sme zastávali."p.17
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Dovoliť Ježišovi, aby mi umyl nohy, nie je niečo "nepovinné" a dobrovoľné; je to základná podmienka, ak chcem byť jeho priateľom a vstúpiť do jeho kráľovstva lásky. p.19
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Prijať cestu utrpenia, poníženia, bolesti, obetovať vlastný život a prijať skutošnosť, že budem pokorený ak otrok bez práv, že prijmem posledné miesto - to všetko sú veci, ktoré sa priečia prirodzeným túžbam ľudského srdca. Naľou túžbou je byť niekým, ukázať, kým sme vďaka svôjmu pôvodu, prednostiam, schopnostiam a základným ľudské práva. s.20
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Ak je naše telo naozaj miestom, kde prebýva Boh, ak je svätou zemou, malo by to ovplyvniť všetky naše vzťahy. Keď sa stretávame s ľudmí, keď sa ich dotýkame, mali by sme to robiť s omnoho väčšou úctou, veď ich život je posvätný. s.31
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People who are powerless and vulnerable attract what is most beautiful and luminous in those who are stronger: They call them to be compassionate, to love intelligently, and not only in a sentimental way. Those who are weak help those who are more capable to discover their own humanity and to leave the world of competition in order to put their energies at the service of love, justice and peace. The weak teach the strong to accept and integrate the weakness and brokenness of their own lives which they often hide behind masks.
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"The image of Jesus kneeling at the feet of humanity has been with me for some time now. Jesus stooping down to cleanse and heal the wounds, and to wash the feet, not saying anything, but with tears rolling down his cheeks. What a difference from the image of God as a judge who rules, condemns and punishes; a God who sees human beings as guilty. People have had that image of God for centuries. But Jesus tells us: "

[Ellen O'brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life changer.
Simple
Beautiful
Challenging