A significant event in the development of liberation theology is the publication of "We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People" by Gustavo Gutierrez. Gustavo's book fulfills the promise that was implicit in his "A Theology of Liberation" which appeared in Spanish in 1971 and soon became a charter for many Latin American theologians and pastoral workers.
'In that earlier work, Gustavo was already speaking of the need for and the importance of a spirituality of liberation. He realized from the beginning that a theology that does not ccme out of an authentic encounter with the Lord can never be fruitful. More than ten years were to pass before Gustavo had the opportunity to develop this spirituality fully, but it was worth waiting for.
“We Drink from Our Own Wells is an important book not just because it is an intelligent and insightful presentation of a Latin American spirituality, but rnore so because it is a gift from the poor that through Gutierrez’s rninistry of solidarity has now become available for the conversion of us who always thought of ourselves as self-suff icient.
"I would like to speak of a conviction that has been deepened and strengthened by this book. It is the conviction that the spiritual destiny of the people of North America is intimately connected with the spiritual destiny of the people in Latin America. I am increasingly struck by the thought that what is happening in the Christian communities of Latin America is part of God's way of calling us in the North to conversion. I even feel that knowing God in North America can no longer be separated from the way he is making himself known in Latin America.