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Paul's story is full of suffering. Born into an environment of sadness and dirt, raised in hate and discord, with never a moment of calm to bring peace to his tired heart, Paul is "abnormal", a "madman", a "delinquent". Those words ! You can throw all the names you want to, but it is still a fact that Paul is Paul with his cry of distress, his sufferings, his longings, his incapacities and his difficulties in relating to the real world and to people. And people say that Paul is abnormal ? Normal people are afraid of him, because he throws them into danger, into anguish. He has nothing to lose in a theft or an act of violence. Normal people, on the other hand, risk losing their goods, so they must throw up defensive barriers. Anyway, they don't want to compromise with the Pauls. Pauls should be put in the hands of the specialists or of the police. Pauls are too inconvenient: hide them; remove them from sight; lock them up.
But Paul is a person, Paul is a child of God, Paul is loved by Jesus.
Jean Vanier
Be Not Afraid
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