News from Taizé 

Friday May 29, 2015

• Taizé: A festive and recollected atmosphere for the centenary of Brother Roger
• Ukraine: A pilgrimage in the Easter season, between suffering and hope
• The themes of the meetings in Taizé
• International gathering for a new solidarity
• International colloquium on Brother Roger’s contribution to theological thought
• Meditation by Brother Alois, "When we share, God gives us the joy of living"
• A new publication
• Agenda
• Prayer

Taizé: a festive and recollected atmosphere for the centenary of Brother Roger

Sunday, May 10, the community of Taizé brothers invited people of the region to honour the memory of its founder, Brother Roger, two days before the centenary of his birth. Under a beautiful spring sun, many friends from the area came to spend the afternoon or the whole day at Taizé. All were invited to attend a series of workshops and meetings. The presence of several bishops, pastors, Catholic and Orthodox priests lent a beautiful ecumenical tone to the day.

Pastor François Clavairoly, president of the Protestant Federation of France, visited the community on this occasion. The next day he had several meetings with brothers and young volunteers, and he addressed the community during the midday meal

Ukraine: A pilgrimage in the Easter season, between suffering and hope

In April 2015, a new stage of the pilgrimage of trust took place in Ukraine. After the Easter celebrations in Moscow and two days in Minsk, Brother Alois and four brothers of the community went to Kyiv together with young people from different cities of Ukraine and Europe. These visits were marked by the suffering associated with the war in the East as well as hope renewed in the Easter season. Testimonies of young participants are online, and make it possible to share in this stay in Ukraine, step by step.

The themes of the meetings in Taizé

The Letter 2012-2015 "Towards a new solidarity", published in Berlin, continues to be the basis of the common path that is bringing us in successive stages to August 2015. It commits us to 2015 to try and be "salt of the earth."The Taizé website gives guidance on these topics for discussion in the coming months, and other documents that can help prepare a stay are in this section.

International gathering for a new solidarity

From August 9-16, a special week is being held to deepen the theme of "new solidarity" in an atmosphere of reflection, prayer and celebration. There will not necessarily be more people at Taizé than during the other summer weeks, but among the participants there will be a greater uniformity of ages and a wider variety of cultural backgrounds. Thus, the program will be deeper and richer, well suited to young people between 18 and 35 years. As during the European meetings, many people from the outside will come to lead workshops. More than sixty of them have already confirmed their participation and we shall gradually publish the topics on the Facebook page of the event.

We still need a lot of volunteers able and willing to help for the choir during this week. There will be singing rehearsals on Saturday, August 8, morning and afternoon, and Sunday August 9 in the afternoon. So do everything you can to arrive already on Friday 7 and mention "choir" in your registration. We are counting on people who have good voices, musical skills and above all lots of enthusiasm. Those who take part in the choir help with the animation of the worship during and after evening prayer, but they can take part in other activities during the day.

International colloquium on Brother Roger’s contribution to theological thought

From Sunday 30 August to Sunday, September 6, an international colloquium will be held on Brother Roger’s contribution to theological thought. This meeting is for young theologians 40 years old and younger—theology students, researchers or those already engaged for several years in a Church ministry. The detailed program of the conference is online. Among the topics to be discussed:

• "Can one be Protestant and a monk?" With Pastor Laurent Schlumberger, President of the United Protestant Church of France.
• "Mercy and the ecumenical journey of Brother Roger." With Cardinal Kasper, former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
• "Taizé’s message to youth" With Dimitra Koukoura, professor of Orthodox theology in Thessaloniki (Greece).
• "Fighting with hope, struggling with a reconciled heart…a South African perspective." With Edwin Arrison, an Anglican priest.
• "In search of the deeper meaning of things: Asian religious traditions and Brother Roger." With Indian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil.

Meditation by Brother Alois, "When we share, God gives us the joy of living"

During his meeting with young people during Ascension weekend, Brother Alois mentioned his recent visit to the General Assembly of Caritas International Rome. He also referred to the acts of solidarity offered at Taizé and in various parts of the world on the occasion of this anniversary year of the community:

“Everywhere, along with the prayer, these young people are undertaking acts of solidarity, in the spirit of Brother Roger who never separated the search for God and human solidarity. Here too, three opportunities to show solidarity were suggested to the people of the local region around Taizé: I just spoke about the refugee camp in Jordan, and we also have begun to collect medicines for the population of Cuba (this will last until August), and we are supporting a meeting of children to be held locally, in June in a nearby village.”

A new publication

The year 2015 is also a year rich in publications. After the CD "Songs of Peace and Unity" and brother Alois’ book of conversations with Marco Roncalli, the Editions du Cerf have just published a new biography of the community’s founder, written by Sabine Laplane: "Frère Roger, de Taizé – Avec presque rien..." (528 pages, 29 €).

Agenda

• Romania. In late May and early June, a brother will make visits in Romania.

• Germany. Brother Alois, with two brothers, will be present for two common prayers, on June 6 at the Kirchentag in Stuttgart, and on June 8 at the Cathedral of Berlin.

Prayer

God of all humans, you want everyone to know your love. Your Holy Spirit dwells in us, reviving joy in us and giving us compassion for those who are suffering.

Taizé website: http://www.taize.fr

LIGHT, RADIANCE AND GRACE ARE IN THE TRINITY AND FROM THE TRINITY

SCRUTATIO SCRIPTURAE

 Scrutatio 

for 

the 

CHRISTIAN FEAST OF THE MANIFESTATION OF THE VERY LIFE 

OF THE ONE, TRUE AND ALMIGHTY GOD

IN THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY

 

Readings from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer

Exodus 3:1-6 / Psalm 93 / Romans 8:12-17 / John 3:1-16  

Readings for the Pauline/Vatican II Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Deuteronomy 4:32-34 and 39-40 / Psalm 33:4-5, 6+9, 18-19 and 20+22 / Romans  8:14-17 / Matthew 28:16-20

Readings for the Tridentine Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Introit: Tobias 12:6 and Psalm 8:1 

Epistle: Romans 11:33-36

Gradual and Alleluia: Daniel 3:55-56 and 52

Gospel 

Matthew 28:18-20

Offertory: 

Tobias 12:6 

Communion Antiphon: Tobias 12:6 

For today's FEAST, let us meditate on this 4th Century A.D. homily written by  Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria, entitled:

LIGHT, RADIANCE AND GRACE ARE IN THE TRINITY AND FROM THE TRINITY

It will not be out of place to consider the ancient tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which was revealed by the Lord, proclaimed by the apostles and guarded by the fathers. For upon this faith the Church is built, and if anyone were to lapse from it, he would no longer be a Christian either in fact or in name.

We acknowledge the Trinity, holy and perfect, to consist of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this Trinity there is no intrusion of any alien element or of anything from outside, nor is the Trinity a blend of creative and created being. It is a wholly creative and energizing reality, self-consistent and undivided in its active power, for the Father makes all things through the Word and in the Holy Spirit, and in this way the unity of the holy Trinity is preserved. Accordingly, in the Church, one God is preached, one God who is above all things and through all things and in all things. God is above all things as Father, for he is principle and source; he is through all things through the Word; and he is in all things in the Holy Spirit.

Writing to the Corinthians about spiritual matters, Paul traces all reality back to one God, the Father, saying: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of service but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone.

Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.

This is also Paul’s teaching in his second letter to the Corinthians: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. For grace and the gift of the Trinity are given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Just as grace is given from the Father through the Son, so there could be no communication of the gift to us except in the Holy Spirit. But when we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Spirit himself.

THE BLESSED TRINITY IN THE SACRED SCRIPTURES

THE SENDING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

SCRUTATIO SCRIPTURAE

Scrutatio 

for 

the 

CHRISTIAN FEAST OF SHAVUOT

(PENTECOST)

 

Readings from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer

Acts 2:1-11 / Psalm 104:25-37 or 33:12-15 and 18-22 / I Corinthians 12:4-13 / John 20:19-23

Readings for the Pauline/Vatican II Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Acts 2:1-11 / Psalm 104:1+24, 29-30 and 31+34 / Galatians 5:16-25 / John 15:26-27 and 16:12-15

Readings for the Tridentine Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Introit: Wisdom 1:7 and Psalm 68:1 

Epistle: Acts 2:1-11

Gradual and Alleluia: Psalm 104:30

Gospel 

John 14:23-31

Offertory: 

Psalm 68:28-30

Communion Antiphon: Acts 2:2 and 4

An excerpt taken from the Adversus Haereses, the work of the valiant Bishop of Lyon in the 2nd Century of our MOST BLESSED CHRISTIAN ERA, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Father Irenaeus, entitled:

THE SENDING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When the Lord told his disciples to go and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, he conferred on them the power of giving men new life in God.

He had promised through the prophets that in these last days he would pour out his Spirit on his servants and handmaids, and that they would prophesy. So when the Son of God became the Son of Man, the Spirit also descended upon him, becoming accustomed in this way to dwelling with the human race, to living in men and to inhabiting God’s creation. The Spirit accomplished the Father’s will in men who had grown old in sin, and gave them new life in Christ. Luke says that the Spirit came down on the disciples at Pentecost, after the Lord’s ascension, with power to open the gates of life to all nations and to make known to them the new covenant. So it was that men of every language joined in singing one song of praise to God, and scattered tribes, restored to unity by the Spirit, were offered to the Father as the first-fruits of all the nations.

This was why the Lord had promised to send the Advocate: he was to prepare us as an offering to God. Like dry flour, which cannot become one lump of dough, one loaf of bread, without moisture, we who are many could not become one in Christ Jesus without the water that comes down from heaven. And like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above. Through the baptism that liberates us from change and decay we have become one in body; through the Spirit we have become one in soul.

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world into which, according to his own words, the devil too had been cast down like lightning.

If we are not to be scorched and made unfruitful, we need the dew of God. Since we have our accuser, we need an advocate as well. And so the Lord in his pity for man, who had fallen into the hands of brigands, having himself bound up his wounds and left for his care two coins bearing the royal image, entrusted him to the Holy Spirit. Now, through the Spirit, the image and inscription of the Father and the Son have been given to us, and it is our duty to use the coin committed to our charge and make it yield a rich profit for the Lord.

Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest,

and in our hearts take up Thy rest;

come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid,

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly gift of God most high,

Thou Fount of life, and Fire of love,

and sweet anointing from above.

O Finger of the hand divine,

the sevenfold gifts of grace are thine;

true promise of the Father thou,

who dost the tongue with power endow.

Thy light to every sense impart,

and shed thy love in every heart;

thine own unfailing might supply

to strengthen our infirmity.

Drive far away our ghostly foe,

and thine abiding peace bestow;

if thou be our preventing Guide,

no evil can our steps betide.

Praise we the Father and the Son

and Holy Spirit with them One;

and may the Son on us bestow

the gifts that from the Spirit flow.

Now to the Father and the Son,

Who rose from death, be glory given,

with Thou, O Holy Comforter,

henceforth by all in earth and heaven.

Amen.

THE GLORY YOU GAVE TO ME, I HAVE GIVEN TO THEM

SCRUTATIO SCRIPTURAE

 

A Scrutatio for the 7th Sunday of the CHRISTIAN SEASON OF PESACH/EASTER

Readings from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer

Acts 1:15-26 / Psalm 68:1-20 or 47 / I John 5:9-15 / John 17:11-19

Readings for the Pauline/Vatican II Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26 / Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, and 19-20. / I John 4:11-16 / John 17:11b-19

Readings for the Tridentine Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Introit: Psalm 27:7-9 and 1 

Epistle: I Peter 4:7-11

Gradual and Alleluia: Psalm 47:8 and John 14:18

Gospel 

John 15:26, 27 and 16:1-4

Offertory: 

Psalm 47:5

Communion Antiphon: John 17:12-13 and 15

From an excerpt of the Homily on the Song of Songs, written by Gregory, 1st Bishop of Nyssa from 372 to 395 A.D., entitled: 

THE GLORY YOU GAVE TO ME, I HAVE GIVEN TO THEM

When love has entirely cast out fear, and fear has been transformed into love, then the unity brought us by our savior will be fully realized, for all men will be united with one another through their union with the one supreme Good. They will possess the perfection ascribed to the dove, according to our interpretation of the text: One alone is my dove, my perfect one. She is the only child of her mother, her chosen one.

Our Lord’s words in the gospel bring out the meaning of this text more clearly. After having conferred all power on his disciples by his blessing, he obtained many other gifts for them by his prayer to the Father. Among these was included the greatest gift of all, which was that they were no longer to be divided in their judgment of what was right and good, for they were all to be united to the one supreme Good. As the Apostle says, they were to be bound together with the bonds of peace in the unity that comes from the Holy Spirit. They were to be made one body and one spirit by the one hope to which they were all called. We shall do better, however, to quote the sacred words of the gospel itself. I pray, the Lord says, that they all may be one; that as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so they also may be one in us.

Now the bond that creates this unity is glory. That the Holy Spirit is called glory no one can deny if he thinks carefully about the Lord’s words: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them. In fact, he gave this glory to his disciples when he said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. Although he had always possessed it, even before the world existed, he himself received this glory when he put on human nature. Then, when his human nature had been glorified by the Spirit, the glory of the Spirit was passed on to all his kin, beginning with his disciples. This is why he said: The glory you gave to me, I have given to them, so that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, I want them to be perfectly one.

Whoever has grown from infancy to manhood and attained to spiritual maturity possesses the mastery over his passions and the purity that makes it possible for him to receive the glory of the Spirit. He is that perfect dove upon whom the eyes of the bridegroom rest when he says: One alone is my dove, my perfect one