--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: L'Arche is not a service institution or a…" description: "\"L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. Our people are given to the world to tell oth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/henri-nouwen-600_brokenness_l-arche-is-not-a-service-institution-or_2389497.png" --- # L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It… ![“L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. Our people are given to the world to tell others about peace and forgiveness and celebration, to make them aware that in the midst of their brokenness, there is joy; in the midst of their…” quote by Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/henri-nouwen-600_brokenness_l-arche-is-not-a-service-institution-or_2389497.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/henri-nouwen-600_brokenness_l-arche-is-not-a-service-institution-or_2389497.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/henri-nouwen-600_brokenness_l-arche-is-not-a-service-institution-or_2389497.png) > “L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. Our people are given to the world to tell others about peace and forgiveness and celebration, to make them aware that in the midst of their brokenness, there is joy; in the midst of their wounded nature, there is healing.” [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A community should embody and share God's love, offering peace, forgiveness, and healing amid human brokenness. **In simple terms:** Community shows God's love and healing. Key Takeaway Live as a conduit of love and peace. Themes community faith healing forgiveness joy Mood hopeful compassionate Type inspirational spiritual When to use this quote - church outreach - counseling - support groups - volunteering Key Concepts spirituality service mission Questions to Reflect On - How can you embody love in daily interactions? - What barriers hinder sharing peace? A Different Perspective May idealism clash with practical constraints of running such a community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brokenness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brokenness/) [Celebration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [God'S Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-s-love/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounded/) ## Related quotes > [I need the help of my nannies, but I don't want my children being raised in something that resembles a group home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/i-need-the-help-of-my-nannies-but-i-don-t-want-my-children-being/) [Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/) > [The family should be a closely knit group. The home should be a self-contained shelter of security; a kind of school where life's basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-family-should-be-a-closely-knit-group-the-home-should-be-a-self/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [This restored church stands as a symbol of peace and forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-burger/this-restored-church-stands-as-a-symbol-of-peace-and-forgiveness/) Eberhard Burger > [Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. Keep the Christ in Christmas, and share the love, peace and forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/merry-christmas-and-a-happy-new-year-to-everyone-keep-the-christ-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This quote is not original to me but is a hard sure way to peace and forgiveness: Stones in a pouch rub each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-b-mack/this-quote-is-not-original-to-me-but-is-a-hard-sure-way-to-peace-and/) Donna B. Mack > [I want to inspire and encourage people and intrigue them to want to know what makes me tick, which is ultimately the love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/i-want-to-inspire-and-encourage-people-and-intrigue-them-to-want-to/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [There is a lot of food culture that goes on in the home and in the community in non-traditional ways. Food is a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/there-is-a-lot-of-food-culture-that-goes-on-in-the-home-and-in-the/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) > [We know that where community exists in confers upon its members identity, a sense of belonging, and a measure of security. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/we-know-that-where-community-exists-in-confers-upon-its-members/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Since we've come to Charlotte, we very quickly realized that this is home. This community quickly embraced our family, so we put down roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/since-we-ve-come-to-charlotte-we-very-quickly-realized-that-this-is/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [The team exists to accomplish a result. The community exists to support its members while they fulfill their purpose. . . . When partnerships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gibb/the-team-exists-to-accomplish-a-result-the-community-exists-to/) Peter Gibb > [I think the sense of community that exists with all the characters - that's the answer. The fact that they have found a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-harrison/i-think-the-sense-of-community-that-exists-with-all-the-characters/) [Randy Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-harrison/) > [I love the whole world of boxing and the sense of community that exists there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holt-mccallany/i-love-the-whole-world-of-boxing-and-the-sense-of-community-that/) [Holt McCallany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holt-mccallany/) > [United Way works to create a safe and healthy home for everyone in our community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steward/united-way-works-to-create-a-safe-and-healthy-home-for-everyone-in/) [David Steward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steward/) > [It's a small community, the classical music community, along with the excitement of new places and new things and this feeling of being at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-roman/it-s-a-small-community-the-classical-music-community-along-with-the/) [Joshua Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-roman/) ## More by Henri Nouwen > [We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-are-not-the-healers-we-are-not-the-reconcilers-we-are-not-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-we-touch-the-intimate-love-of-god-which-creates-sustains-and/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/we-all-want-to-hear-stories-from-the-moment-we-are-born-to-the-moment/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-have-found-it-very-important-to-let-go-of-my-wishes-and-start-hoping/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/simply-being-with-someone-is-difficult-because-it-asks-of-us-that-we/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/jesus-says-keep-your-heart-on-the-kingdom-first-keep-your-heart-on/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/this-sounds-very-simple-and-maybe-even-trite-but-very-few-people-know/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-more-preoccupied-we-are-with-security-the-more-visible-the-force/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/if-you-feel-a-great-loneliness-and-a-deep-longing-for-human-contact/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-choose-l-arche-l-arche-chooses-me-i-would-be-dead-if-i-weren-t-here/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-truth-even-though-i-cannot-feel-it-right-now-is-that-i-am-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/in-a-world-so-torn-apart-by-rivalry-anger-and-hatred-we-have-the/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/where-true-inner-freedom-is-there-is-god-and-where-god-is-there-we/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) [Explore all 452 Henri Nouwen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) ## More Brokenness quotes > [“Despite the way she rallied, the haunted look in her eyes was enough to break him, as lost and lonely as an abandoned child’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/despite-the-way-she-rallied-the-haunted-look-in-her-eyes-was-enough/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) > [“My parents are humans too. This has been one of my greatest awakenings in adulthood: my parents being regular people, too. They have baggage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-brenner/my-parents-are-humans-too-this-has-been-one-of-my-greatest-awakenings/) [Natalie Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-brenner/) > [“Maybe when we say we want to fall in love, we really mean we just want a place to fall apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-when-we-say-we-want-to-fall-in-love-we-really-mean-we-just-want/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The church is not a museum for pristine saints, but a hospital ward for broken sinners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-church-is-not-a-museum-for-pristine-saints-but-a-hospital-ward/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Our brokenness is our greatest strength. I've been broken all my life, for my life is one on the spectrum with OCD to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/our-brokenness-is-our-greatest-strength-i-ve-been-broken-all-my-life/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Leave the broken, irreversible past in God's hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/leave-the-broken-irreversible-past-in-god-s-hands-and-step-out-into/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The worst kind of brokenness is the kind that you don’t know you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-neftzger/the-worst-kind-of-brokenness-is-the-kind-that-you-don-t-know-you-have/) [Amy Neftzger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-neftzger/) > [“Plus, once he did the requisite double-take and recognized me, he’d probably beat the crap out of any guy who looked at me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/plus-once-he-did-the-requisite-double-take-and-recognized-me-he-d/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [Every day I have spent in Uganda has been beautifully overwhelming; everywhere I have looked, raw, filthy, human need and brokenness have been on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-davis/every-day-i-have-spent-in-uganda-has-been-beautifully-overwhelming/) [Katie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-davis/) > [Brokenness is the shattering of my self-will - the absolute surrender of my will to the will of God. It is saying “Yes, Lord!”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/brokenness-is-the-shattering-of-my-self-will-the-absolute-surrender/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [“If you spend time judging and criticizing people, you will not have time to heal from your pain or brokenness. You cannot love yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-sogunle/if-you-spend-time-judging-and-criticizing-people-you-will-not-have/) [Kemi Sogunle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-sogunle/) > [“I want to drag knives over my skin, just to feel something other than shame, but I'm not even brave enough for that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-want-to-drag-knives-over-my-skin-just-to-feel-something-other-than/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [My brokenness is a better bridge for people than my pretend wholeness ever was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-walsh/my-brokenness-is-a-better-bridge-for-people-than-my-pretend-wholeness/) [Sheila Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-walsh/) > [The immense joy in welcoming back the lost son hides in the immense sorrow that has gone before…our brokenness may appear beautiful, but our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/the-immense-joy-in-welcoming-back-the-lost-son-hides-in-the-immense/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/god-uses-broken-things-it-takes-broken-soil-to-produce-a-crop-broken/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) [Browse all 181 Brokenness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brokenness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. 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