Wisdom from The Jean.

God and universal truth are not in the sky and the stars, nor in theories, ideologies and ideals. They are hidden in actual people, in flesh, mud and matter. They are hidden in the poor and the weak who cry above all for recognition and communion. Just as some of the purest and most cleansing substances come from things that are rotten - wine and alcohol from fermented fruit, penicillin from mold - and just as the earth is nourished by animal manure, so our hearts and inner brokenness are healed through communion with all that we have rejected and are afraid of: the poor and weak, enemies, strangers. --Jean Vanier