Spirituality: “Formation and Transformation” by Jean Vanier

Jesus formed these men and many other disciples,
not in a formal way by teaching idea, skills,
or giving them classes in Scripture,
but he formed them and transformed them
by living with them, walking with them,
being a model for them.

He loved them and they loved him so naturally that
they learned from him, to do things as he did them.
He taught them how to live the good news,
how to trust the Father
and to read the signs of God in all the little events of each day.

He showed them that faith is trust in God,
not ideas about God,
and that this faith and trust grow day by day
through all that is beautiful
as well as through all that is painful,
all that reveals our weakness and poverty.

He showed them that trust is like a dialogue,
a communion between hearts that is continually deepening.
Jesus gave them an example of how to live,
how to love,
how to welcome the poor,
how to become a friend of the powerless,
how to be with women and with strangers,
how to be with sinners, tax collectors,
and victims of prostitution.

They saw how Jesus lived,
simply and poorly,
open to each moment and to each situation,
open to the will of the Father,
and how he was moved or motivated
not by codified, written law,
but by the law of love,
the love of each person in need.

Source: Jesus, The Gift of Love, as found in Give Us This Day, October, 2019, pp. 287-288.