News from Taizé
Saturday 7 June 2014
·
Taizé: Between Ascension and Pentecost
In recent weeks, several workshops were led by young people
visiting the hill. A large group from Moscow, which comes every year, was
present, and the young people could share about the spirituality and faith of
their Orthodox Church. Young adults from Belarus and Ukraine presented their
aspirations for the future of their country, answering many questions from
those who attended.
The five young people who traveled around the world these past
months on an "Interfaith Tour" presented the most beautiful memories
of their many meetings on every continent. During Ascension weekend, the
Belgian economist Jacques Defourny led a meeting on the topic of the non-profit
sector of the economy. Professors and students from the Orthodox Institute
Saint-Serge, in Paris, came for a weekend, holding several meetings with the
brothers and a celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Romanesque village
church.
Brother Alois: Open the “wellspring of hope” in
us
During Ascension weekend, a young man from China entered the
community, one week before another young man from France. Brother Alois spoke
about it to the young people during his weekly meeting on Saturday evening. “Here in Taizé
each year, on the feast of the Ascension, we are astonished to see our Church
of Reconciliation so full. There are so many of you; it is a real springtime
festival. So we brothers ask ourselves: why do you come? What are you looking
for?"
Operation Hope: An appeal for solidarity with
North Korea
Since 1998, thanks to Operation Hope, Taizé has sent humanitarian aid to
North Korea, severely affected by a food shortage. In recent years, we have
supported hospitals by sending equipment and medicine. In early July, a new
shipment of necessary medical equipment will be organized. The community will
assure its transport to hospitals and clinics in rural areas.
The Americas: Several stages in the pilgrimage
of trust
The recent stages of the pilgrimage of trust in America were three successive meetings between March and late April in
Texas, in the cities of Austin, Dallas and Houston, then a Latin American
meeting in Mexico City May 1-4, with host families, common prayers and
workshops. Concerning this last meeting, Carlos from Mexico writes: “The city
of Mexico is known for being huge, wild and dangerous ... but now we have come
to know the real life of the people. I received a very well organized welcome
in the parish of San Cayetano. When we arrived at the parish, the families were
already there and as soon as we entered they began to applaud. I was very
touched by my host family: two young sisters welcomed me as well as a young man
from Costa Rica. They really opened their hearts to us.”
Armenia: A Rich Cultural Heritage Linked to the
Christian Faith
In the second half of March a brother visited Armenia for ten days. He writes: “For some
time we had been invited by the department of interchurch relations of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. This is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox Churches,
headed by the Catholicos Karekin. Armenia is a small country which regained its
independence in 1991 and is located in the South Caucasus between Europe and
Asia. It is considered the first country to have adopted Christianity, probably
in 301. Since that time the Armenians have always been very committed to their
Christian faith and their Armenian identity, which they retained in an often
hostile environment.”
2015 in Taizé: Two international gatherings
In 2015, besides the large international gathering of young people from 9-16 August,
two special meetings are being offered. From 5-12 July, a week of reflection on the relevance of a religious vocation will bring together young people living the monastic or religious
life, either in a period of formation or already committed for several years.
In addition, from 30 August to 6 September, there will be an international colloquium on the contribution of Brother Roger to theological thought, for
young theologians: students, researchers, or those already engaged for several
years in a Church ministry.
An exhibition at Taizé: "From scrap to
art"
The latest in a series of temporary exhibitions in Taizé is a presentation of work by Brother Denis: bark collages and
birds painted on fabrics. After fifty years of life as a brother in Taizé and
Africa, and a long time practicing architecture, in 2010 Brother Denis joined
the new group of brothers who settled in Nairobi, Kenya, in the wake of the
international young adult meeting held in that city in 2008.
Agenda
·
Middle East. On this
Sunday 8 June in Taizé, when in Rome Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, and
Presidents Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas pray for peace in the Middle East,
all those who wish are invited to join in a moment of silent prayer in the Church
of Reconciliation, from 6:30 to 7pm.
·
France. Sunday 15 June
at 10:00 CEST, a documentary film on Taizé will be presented in the weekly
programme “Présence Protestante” on France 2.
Prayer
God of love, you give yourself to us by sending us the Holy Spirit.
He can heal our deep wounds, giving us Christ’s peace and forgiveness and
making us a people. We praise you for the Spirit’s presence. You never condemn;
you always lift us up.
MEDITATION BY BROTHER ALOIS
The Wellspring of Hope
Saturday 31 May 2014
Many of us brothers have just returned from various visits we made this spring. Some went to Ukraine, another to Russia. In serious conflict that is taking place at this time, there is in both countries women and men who want peace.
I myself, with other brothers, was in Mexico for a beautiful gathering of 2000 young people from different countries. In particular, we had a prayer vigil in the sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, where several thousand people from the city joined us.
Taizé brothers will also leave for Brazil and Bangladesh, where they live close to the poorest.
Here in Taizé each year, on the feast of the Ascension, we are astonished to see our Church of Reconciliation so full. There are so many of you; it is a real springtime festival. So we brothers ask ourselves: why do you come? What are you looking for?
When I put the question to one or the other of you, I realize that the answers are very different. Some say: to meet other young people. Others: silence. Others: common prayer with songs that last all evening. And I still get all sorts of other answers.
All of these replies, in their diversity, have something in common: they all contain a search of hope, to look at the future with joy and not in fear.
We brothers also find ourselves on the journey with you and in the welcome we try to offer you there is a hope that stimulates us, especially when we see that beyond the stay here you want to build your life on trust in God.
The source of hope is not in us. We are not the ones who produce it. So how can we receive hope? The feast we have been celebrating since Thursday can open in us the source of hope. But what does the Ascension mean, that moment when Christ ascended to heaven?
Using the language of images, the Bible means: that death is not the last word. Jesus died but he is also risen, and he carries with he all those he loves, all humankind. With him our humanity is welcomed in God.
Yes, Christ, even invisibly, is close to each of us. What worries us about ourselves, he bears. He takes our faults upon himself. He loves each one of us passionately. And he opens the way for us to be with God forever. Christ awaits us.
If all of us, each and every one of us, could welcome again these days this trust in Christ’s love.
Disasters and threats to the planet and to humanity, however real they may be, are not the ultimate truth. Our humanity has a future beyond the limits that seem insurmountable, beyond suffering and death. And in our prayer, even when it is very poor, we are already linked to that beyond.
This is not a theory; it is a reality. This is the meaning of the feast we are celebrating these days. To enter this feast, to taste the joy and hope it engenders, we cannot content ourselves with words or ideas. But we must ask ourselves: what can I change in my daily life, in order to be consistent with this trust that God is love?
When we try to answer this question in our lives every day, regardless of the situation in which we find ourselves, a dynamism awakens, a wellspring flows in us.
Tonight we welcomed a new brother in our community; he comes from China. It is a huge joy for us. He decided to trust in Christ at the center of his life. Of course, trust does not always mean feeling God’s love, but living it through our community life.
For us brothers, the important thing is not to be good organizers of youth meetings. The key is first to be brothers to each other, to realize the goodness of Jesus Christ among us. Our great diversity means that community life is demanding, but at the same time it offers a lot of beauty.
When you go back home, I would encourage you too to take a decision: how can you live out the goodness of Christ at home in your own situation, beginning with your family and friends? We always have to begin again without getting discouraged.
The goodness of Christ impels us to go towards those who suffer, to the excluded. Make visits to come into contact with precarious situations perhaps very close to you. This nourishes a lot our trust in God. And then we can better understand the words of Christ: "I am with you always, until the end of time."
The Ascension, stained-glass by Brother Eric of Taizé
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento