For the last six weeks, the
meetings in Taizé have been following their winter rhythm. Everything has
become calmer: the young people are few in number and for a week they are like a
large family gathered together for a moment in Advent. The liturgy, the songs
and the decoration of the church help each one to live this time of waiting and
preparing for Christmas, and for the coming of Christ.
Outside the church,
visible from the road, a large Christmas crib tells the story of the Nativity;
illustrated with Bible verses, the figures are life size. Week by week, the
story continues, and the crib evolves… and each Sunday the presence of a donkey
and some sheep makes this a joyful meeting place for everybody in Taizé and for
families from the region.
Last week, the visit of fourteen sisters from
different religious communities in China was a very joyful occasion! Their
presence in Taizé was one more sign of communion with the Christians of China,
at the end of a year where, every Friday, we pray for them during the evening
prayer.
For the month of December and linked to Advent, a new unpublished
video of Brother Roger carries the title “Born of a woman”
The second international meeting of the pilgrimage of trust in Latin America was held in Santiago, Chile from 8 to 12 December 2010. Following months of preparation, eight thousand young adults from throughout the continent, as well as some representatives from Europe, came together for five days of prayer and sharing. The times of prayer together were celebrated in a vast tent set up in a public park in the centre of the city. The Cardinal of Santiago, and bishops and pastors of different Churches of Chile were present.
Many were struck by the presence of the Bolivians in Chile; prejudice and
political tensions sometimes divide these two countries. “A time had been set
aside for people to meet together with others from the same country; to start to
see how the pilgrimage can be continued when everyone has gone home. The 400
strong Bolivian delegation decided to return the beautiful gesture that the
young people from Chile had made towards them three years ago during the meeting
in Cochabamba. The Bolivians went to the place where the Chileans were meeting,
over 2000 of them at that point, in the big prayer tent, and surrounded them
with a giant embrace.”
Photos
The “Letter from Chile”, by Brother Alois, owes its name to the Santiago meeting. Each evening, he himself commented on one of the chapters. He also announced that, if the social and political situation of the country permits it, he will travel to Haiti to express the solidarity of young people, before the meeting in Rotterdam. This visit to Haiti will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 December.
This year, the 33rd European young adult meeting organised by the Taizé Community will take place from 28 December 2010 to 01 January 2011 in Rotterdam. Approximately 30,000 young adults from throughout Europe and beyond are expected for five days of prayer and sharing.
Upon arrival the young people will receive the The Letter from Chile written by Brother Alois. This letter will encourage them to reflect on joy and solidarity with those who suffer, “a joy that resists discouragement”.
The young participants will be welcomed by communities and families across the region, from Breda to the Hague, from Gouda to Hoek van Holland. They will spend their mornings in 150 host churches, and afternoons at the city exhibition centre (Ahoy) for meals and prayer together.
On the afternoons of December 29 and 30, workshops will be led by Taizé
brothers and also by people committed locally, the mayor of the city, several
bishops and pastors as well as Dutch politicians….
The detailed program of the
meeting
Brother Alois will speak to the young people every evening during the prayer at the exhibition centre (Ahoy).
Several messages of support for the Community and the participants have been received.
(1 John 3, 11-18) In no
passage of the first letter of St. John does the word “brother” appear as often
as in these few verses: in the plural or singular, it is found seven times. And
surprisingly, in the story of Cain and Abel to which our passage refers (Genesis
4:1-16), the same word is also found seven times. This is perhaps only a
coincidence, but it immediately orients us in a certain direction: when brothers
and sisters are together, loving is not automatic. Rivalries may spring up, and
conflicts arise. How then should we behave?
“Not like Cain,” says our
passage (v. 12), but like “that one” (v. 16). And “that one” is obviously Jesus.
It is as if the author is pointing his finger at him.
Cain felt threatened
by his brother, because Abel was apparently more acceptable. In order not to
feel this threat he had to eliminate this brother, exclude him from his horizon.
Whereas “that one”, Jesus, what did he do? He was able to “lay down for his
brothers and sisters” his transient and fragile earthly life (his “soul”, as the
text says in verse 16), to give it for others….
The presence of brothers in Nairobi makes it possible to maintain links with
many people in East Africa. From 13 to 23 November 2010, two of the brothers
visited Rwanda. They took
part in the annual forum for young Catholics that was organised this year at
Gikongoro. Two thousand participants from all over the country, as well as
delegations from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, came together for
four days of reflection and prayer on the theme “Master, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?” The brothers were invited to lead a time of prayer around
the Cross on the Friday afternoon, followed by an itinerant prayer that made its
way across the city….
The brothers also followed up contacts with various
Church leaders: Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini and his newly elected successor at
the head of the Episcopalian Church, Onesephore Rwaje; Pastor Pascal
Bataringaya, vice-president of the Presbyterian Church; Bishop Servilien
Nzakamwita of Byumba, in charge of youth ministry in the Catholic Church….
From 19 to the 21 November 2010, young people from all over Slovenia gathered in Maribor for a weekend youth meeting. Catholic and Protestant churches opened their doors for common prayers; 130 young people had the opportunity to share time with the families they were staying with and with the young people of the host parishes. Up to 400 people came together with the archbishops of the diocese and a brother of Taizé, to pray, to sing and to reflect on the importance of friendship and reconciliation among all. Two young adults from Taizé, Mario (Germany) and Laurent (Switzerland) have written about their experience.
Christ Jesus, with you we would like to announce through our lives the unlimited love of God. Then we will be able to invite everyone to receive the good news of your Gospel: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”