Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Plough Quarterly • Summer  Jean Vanier, born in 1928, is a French spiritual writer and the founder of the L’Arche community. O ne of the signs that a community is alive can be found in material things. Cleanliness, furnishings, the way flowers are arranged and meals pre- pared, are among the things which reflect the quality of people’s hearts. Some people may find material chores irksome; they would prefer to use their time to talk and be with others. They haven’t yet realized that the thou- sand and one small things that have to be done each day, the cycle of dirtying and cleaning, were given by God to enable us to communicate through matter. Cooking and washing floors can become a way of showing our love for others. If we see the humblest task in this light, everything can become communion and so celebration– because it is celebration to be able to give. It is important, too, to recognize the humble and material gifts that others bring and to thank them for them. Recognition of the gifts of others is essential in community. All it takes is a smile and two small words–“Thank you.” When we put love into what we do, it becomes beautiful, and so do the results. There is a lack of love in a dirty or untidy com- munity. But the greatest beauty is in simplicity and lack of affectation, where everything is oriented toward a meeting of people among themselves and with God. The way we look after the house and garden shows whether we feel really at home, relaxed, and peaceful. The house is the nest; it is like an extension of the body. Sometimes we tend to forget the role of the environment in liberation and inner growth. Our lives in L’Arche are disarmingly simple. We often say that half the day is taken up with dirtying things and the other half with clean- ing up! That is not entirely true because we also have work, celebrations, meals, and prayer. But that does say something about the littleness and ordinariness of our lives. When we put love into what we do, it becomes beautiful. Deeds J E A N VA N I E R Photograph from clairlythgoe.co.uk.com