Letter from Taizé Special Issue 1997 Translated into 58 different languages (including 23 Asian ones and 7 African ones), this letter was written by Brother Roger of Taizé for the entry into the twentieth year of the European meetings of young adults. It was published for the European meeting that was held for five days in Stuttgart, Germany, from 28 December 1996 to 1 January 1997, as a stage in the "pilgrimage of trust on earth" animated by Taizé. This letter will be reflected on during the INTERCONTINENTAL MEETINGS OF YOUNG ADULTS which will take place each week in Taizé throughout 1997, with young people from Eastern and Western Europe as well as from other continents. (Other languages will be available from the Taizé web site towards the end of January.) From Doubt to the Brightness of a Communion ======================================= We are in a world where light and darkness co-exist. (1) As we aspire to the light, could a doubt take hold of us? Far from worrying about this, a Russian mystic wrote, "I am a child of doubt and unbelief... My «hosanna» has passed through the crucible of doubt." (2 Happy are those who walk from doubt towards the brightness of a communion in Christ! Just like the sun dispelling the morning mist, light will shine in the nights of the soul. And springs of cool water will well up even in the deserts of the heart. Not an illusory communion but a clear-headed one, that impels us to act in the midst of real-life situations. It leads us above all to understand and to love. (3 Life is filled with serene beauty for whoever strives to love with compassion. If we were to lose compassion, the inner fire of an inexhaustible kindness, what would be left? (4 Compassion touches the depths of our being. It re-awakens innocence in our heart of hearts. It enables us to see others as they are. Whoever chooses to love, and to say it by their life, will one day be led to ask themselves one of the most essential questions of all: how can human suffering be alleviated, the suffering of the innocent, whether close at hand or far away? (5 Even with very little faith, (6) can we realize that God has a call for each of us? The Gospel helps us to understand that there is no greater love than to go to the extreme of self-giving. (7 When God calls us to a vocation for a whole lifetime, he invites us to remain in it always. (8) And if obstacles arise, we will be surprised to find ourselves praying: Holy Spirit, you are the guardian of a lifelong vocation; give me what I need not to stop along the way. (9 Could a doubt come welling up? The desire for God does not vanish for all that. Four centuries after Christ, a believer wrote down his conviction: "If you desire to see God, you already have faith." (10 If we have the simple desire to welcome God's presence, a flame is kindled in the depths of our being. (11 Is this flame of love sometimes only a pale glimmer? (12) The incredible thing is that it keeps on burning. An inner reality, this flame enables us to keep going through long nights in almost total darkness. (13 And a kind of about-face occurs within us... the Gospel comes to change both our life and our heart. When we are assailed by glumness, boredom and disenchantment, there is a choice to be made. (14) It consists in making ourselves ready to undertake an inner reorientation; it leads to a Gospel joy. (15 We surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit, entrusting everything to him again and yet again; and hope, the dynamism of love, springs to life again. (16 In a world where light and darkness co-exist, there are men, women, young people and children who are bearers of light in the human family. (17) Their mere presence is creative; it radiates outward, even if they are totally unaware of it. They love, and they express it by their lives. They open their eyes to the anguish of the innocent, children or young people marked by broken relationships. (18) They wish to be in solidarity with so many young people whose future is uncertain. (19 They live in the spirit of these words spoken almost three thousand years ago: "God has in mind plans for peace and not for misfortune; he wants a future for us." (20 Despite their minimal resources, they seek to take on responsibilities for preparing around themselves ways of communion and a new future. (21 In their striving towards a goal, they are not surprised at the resistances so often linked to the process of creation, to new beginnings. Knowing the value of a simple life, they wish to be attentive to simplicity, always simplicity. Some of them respond to the call to a life in community. If they let themselves be penetrated by Gospel freshness, they overturn around themselves the heavy weight of indifference and weariness. One night, a man called Nicodemus came to visit Jesus. He learned from him that without "being born again," no one can see the realities of God. (22) Reconciliation and forgiveness are among those pure wellsprings that lead to a new birth. Whoever seeks reconciliation with all their energy discovers that there is a "before" as well as an "after." There is a "before" for those who, wounded by many humiliations, think: I will not manage to forgive and to be reconciled. But one day they start to consider: if I refuse forgiveness, what can I reflect of Christ? (23) As they come to have the desire for a reconciliation, they are more concerned to understand others than to convince them by arguments. And there is an "after" when, reconciled, they experience a new birth. And God comes to heal the secret wound of the soul. If we were to let ourselves be clothed in forgiveness as in a garment, we would glimpse a transfiguration of our being and the brightness of a communion. If the love that forgives became a flame burning within us... If compassionate hearts were at the beginning of everything... ...around us would shine, whether we knew it or not, a Gospel radiance... (24 ...and these words would be illuminated from within: "Love, and say it by your life!" (25 TOWARDS THE YEAR 2000: TO LIVE OUT RECONCILIATIONS A Call to the Younger Generations Love, and say it by your life! Without love, what future is there for Christians? In the coming years, if we could try to make a multitude of different reconciliations possible around us, in the most diverse situations... They will allow us to enter into the third millenium ready to live an adventure of reconciliation that is as daring as possible. Without joy and simplicity, those Gospel values so intimately connected to one another, how can we radiate a spirit of forgiveness, not only among believers but with non-believers as well? What is true for one person is also true for that mystery of communion which is the Body of the risen Christ, his Church. (1) When, even with very few resources, the Church welcomes in joy and in an infinite simplicity, it opens wide the gates of mercy and of consolation. (2) And the Church becomes what it is at its most transparent, a source of reconciliation, a beacon of love. (3 Christ Jesus, source of a communion, you did not come to earth to condemn the world but so that every human being might find a road open through the Holy Spirit. We are astonished to find that no one is excluded either from your love or from your forgiveness. And, risen from the dead, you come to turn us into ferments of peace and reconciliation. === Notes to the main Letter === 1 See John 1,5. 2 Dostoyevsky's notebooks . "Hosanna" is a Hebrew acclamation which expresses gratitude and praise to God. 3 "This is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that God loved us... If God loved us in this way, we too should love one another" (1 John 4,10-11). 4 "You come to resemble God by acquiring goodness. Forge a merciful and kind heart in yourself, in order to clothe yourself in Christ" (Saint Basil, fourth century). 5 Everywhere across the earth, Christians are eager to take on responsibilities, often very specific ones, in order to make the earth a better place. And how surprised we are to discover everything that is made possible by a love drawn from the wellsprings of the faith! 6 Those who discover how fragile their faith is should remember that faith is quite a simple reality. We move from hesitations to the trusting of faith a thousand times over, our whole life long. In a prayer, Saint Augustine said to Christ, "My desire was not to be more certain of you, but more strengthened in you." 7 See John 15,13. 8 See Romans 11,29. 9 Before leaving his disciples, Christ promised them: "God will send you the Holy Spirit, who will come to comfort you, who will be with you always" (John 14,16). Just as Christ was present on earth with those he loved, by the Holy Spirit he is still just as present for us today. 10 Saint Augustine, fourth century. 11 Those who have longed for a communion with God at least once in their life are more numerous than we may think. 12 To feed that flame, we need to return to some very short prayers said over and over again. They express to God our deepest longing: "You love us; your forgiveness and your presence in us bring to birth the brightness of praise." Or else: "In you peace of heart." Or again: "Jesus, have compassion on me!" 13 Unchanging in its essence, prayer can take on a great diversity of expressions. Some pray in a great silence; others use many words. Saint Teresa of Avila wrote, "When I speak to the Lord, often I do not know what I am saying." Some people use just a few words to pray, always the same ones. When we pray, we try to express to God what is most personal. Sometimes, an inspiration or an intuition wells up from the depths of our being. But there is no need to worry if no words arise. "When our lips are closed and our soul is open before God, our heart speaks to God" (Saint Augustine). To support our personal prayer, there is nothing that leads to a communion with God more than praying in the company of one or several other persons, with the beauty of singing. A joy inspired by the Gospel finds in such a prayer one of its most powerful expressions. 14 When the Gospel's joy disappears, human beings do not feel at home anywhere. No matter where they are, they think they would be happier somewhere else. The "spirit of praise," grateful hearts, require an inner decision constantly renewed: "Clothe yourself in joy... Cleanse your heart of harmful sadness and you will live for God" (Hermas, second century). And our joyful hearts make life beautiful for those around us. 15 One of the first brothers in our community has constantly said with simplicity, "I rejoice in every instant that I live." Like every human being, he has known trials. How can he rejoice in every instant? He knows what it means to remain faithful in a vocation as the years pass. He knows how to be attentive to what is essential and to return to it at every moment. That is what supports a joy. To go forward in a vocation, he also knows how important it it to have a short inner prayer that is often repeated. For many years he has been praying with these words: "Jesus, my joy, my hope and my life." 16 See Philippians 4,6-7. Christ too surrendered himself to God. When he died on the cross, he prayed: "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23,46), in other words, "I entrust my entire life to you." 17 See Ephesians 5,8. The powerful of the earth are certainly not the ones who determine changes in the world. Could the Virgin Mary have thought that her life would be essential for the future of the human family? Like her, so many of the humble of the earth prepare ways of peaceful communion. Their mere presence can neutralize certain determinisms of brutality and hatred. 18 When children see members of their family quarrel or separate, their hearts experience a tearing apart that can mark them for life. If young people were to go each week to spend time with some of these children... They could listen to them, share with them, bring them to a prayer service. There are many older persons, too, who think they have accomplished nothing and have to end their lives in isolation. And yet some elderly persons, filled with selflessness, are indispensable for the younger generations. They listen, and in this way they unburden them of a load of worries. Spiritual mothers and fathers, according to the Gospel, are given to us a hundredfold. Young people can do a lot for them, visiting them, helping them to decorate or repair their homes... 19 Some people are looking for practical suggestions to be in solidarity particularly with those who are out of work. A father of a family wrote: "To meet with the unemployed, to search for ways of expressing a reciprocity, sharing a little of oneself, taking the time to listen, to help them with paperwork, to support them as they look for a job and to encourage them when they meet with little success. And also to enable others to do something they are capable of and that will keep their self-confidence alive. To find simple means to make such a friendship possible..." 20 Jeremiah 29,11. When we are confronted with human misfortune, physical violence or moral torture, a question arises: if God is love, where does evil come from? No one can explain the why of evil. But Christ enters into solidarity with the incomprehensible suffering of the innocent. Did he not come to earth so that every human being might know that he or she is loved? And he enables us to take on responsibilities to reduce human suffering. "When someone is tempted, they should not say: my temptation comes from God. God cannot be tempted by evil and he does not tempt anyone" (James 1,13). 21 As regards Europe, they know that every nation needs to live in complementarity with the others. Who could be indifferent to the birth of a Europe that is unified, pacified, reconciled? And far from turning inward upon herself, Europe will always discover part of her particular genius in solidarity with other continents. The different parts of the world need one another, too. When they are left to themselves, each of them sees certain fundamental balances vanish. 22 See John 3,1-8. 23 When timidity keeps us from asking for forgiveness, why not dare to make a simple gesture that needs no words: extend your hand so that the other person can make in it the sign of forgiveness, the sign of the cross? 24 Communicating Christ never means trying to impose oneself. The Gospel is not a vice that clamps down upon another person's conscience and entraps them. A believer from Bangladesh, speaking about those around him who do not know Christ, said, "When you are near a fire, you are warmed. When the fire of God's love is in us, does it not shine on those who are close to us, even if we do not realize it?" 25 According to Saint Augustine, fourth century. === Notes for the Call to the Younger Generations === 1 In the simplicity of faith, we can realize that the Risen Christ is above all communion... He did not come to earth to start a new religion; he did not criticize existing religions. He came to offer to everyone this mystery of a communion of love in his Body, his Church. 2 More than we realize, today a great number of young people pray; they long for a communion with Christ and with the Holy Spirit. But a question remains: "Why, in vast regions of the world, are so many of the young absent from prayer in the churches?" 3 In the midst of the twentieth century there appeared a man named John, born in a humble peasant family in the North of Italy. With regard to the reconciliation of Christians, that old man, John XXIII, said some words that are among the most crystal-clear imaginable: "We will not try to find out who was wrong and who was right; we will only say: let us be reconciled!" At the very same time, in Constantinople there was another holy witness to Christ, Patriarch Athenagoras. At the end of a visit we paid to him, as we were taking our leave, the patriarch remained standing in the doorway and, making the gesture of raising the Eucharistic chalice, spoke these final words: "The cup and the breaking of the bread, there is no other solution, remember!" ------------------------------------------------------------------- This letter was sent to the low volume mailing list which sends out the "Johannine Hours" once a month plus other news from Taize from time to time. To subscribe to the "Johannine Hours" send an E-mail to: listserv@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de with a single line in the message body SUBSCRIBE TAIZE-L FirstName LastNane To UNSUBSCRIBE to the "Johannine Hours" mailing list send an E-mail to: listserv@rz.uni-karlsruhe.de with a single line in the message body SIGNOFF TAIZE-L E-mail: meetings@taize.fr (please include your ground address and all relevant details when asking for information concerning a stay in Taize or participation in the meetings of young adults) community@taize.fr (to contact a brother of the community) Our home page can be found at: http://www.taize.fr For more information about Taize, send an E-mail to: info@taize.fr end -- Taize-Community, 71250 TAIZE, France. frereroy@taize.fr home-page: http://www.taize.fr For more information about Taize Mailto:info@taize.fr --------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/taize: broger97.txt .