First a notice: many have been awaiting the English
version of the Strenna commentary. The holdup is at my end - we are
working on the translation in the absence (temporary) of Fr. Williams.
Pazienza. In due course ANS will disseminate it but I'll make a copy
available in 'our' space on the web where you can pick it up.
JBF
The following story is a 'good news' story taken
from ZENIT. Don't often 'pinch' stuff; try to do our own sleuthing, but I
think you'll like this one.
SURPRISED BY YOUTH
Taizé Founder, Surprised by Youth
Brother Roger
Schutz Sees Power of Prayer and Music
TAIZÉ, France, JAN. 14, 2001
(ZENIT.org/Avvenire) .- The Taizé Community is one of the most unexpected
phenomena of Christianity in Europe.
For the past 23 years, the community
has organized prayer meetings, which attract large numbers of Catholic,
Orthodox,Evangelical, Lutheran and Anglican youths, mong others.
The last
meeting, held at the end of 2000 in Barcelona, brought together 80,000 youths
from the East and West. The initiative is based on the inspiration of Brother
Roger Schutz, 85, who founded this ecumenical community. In the following
interview, Brother Roger evaluates youth's faith.
--Q: Many youths from
all over the world arrive in Taizé, which is n estled in the Burgundy hills, to
participate in European meetings. What are they seeking?
--Brother Roger:
Today, many young people in the world are disheartened. They see their
future as very uncertain. There are some who are marked by family wounds
received during their infancy or adolescence. Looking at all these young faces
on our hill in Taizé, who not only come from Northern, Slavic and Mediterranean
countries, but also from Africa, Latin America and Asia, we understand that they
come with vital questions. What will my future be like? What is the meaning of
my life? When we welcome them in our Taizé fraternities, located in the midst of
the poorest in different parts of the world, as well as during the European
meetings, we want to tap, above all, the sources of the confidence of
faith.
--Q: Many come from Eastern Europe. Are they different from their
Western friends?
--Brother Roger: Like all of us, those from the East
also hope that they will be understood and appreciated. They know they come from
countries that have suffered, that are still living with tensions and a fragile
economy. They are all different among themselves: Some bring human treasures
with them, and we must learn from
them.
Among youths from the East, we
try to pay attention to the Orthodox from Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Romania,
Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia. Above all, the secret of an Orthodox soul is
prayer open to contemplation.
--Q: There are those who judge this
generation very severely, saying they are without values, responsibility or a
future. What do you think?
--Brother Roger: Yes, it is true that youth
are paralyzed because of discouragement and sometimes skepticism, but what is
even more true is that in every corner of the earth, some abound with
initiative; they are creative. They are capable of introducing other youths to
the interior life and, at the same time, to solidarity with those experiencing
economic difficulties.
When I hear harsh judgments, I think interiorly of
Pope John XXIII, and some of the words he expressed at the opening of Vatican
Council II: "The prophets of doom only see ruin and calamities, in society's
present situation; they say our time has worsened profoundly, as if the world
were about to come to an end."
--Q: Is one of Taizé's secrets the fact
that youths ask for meetings to pray in simplicity and freedom, placing the Word
of God at the center? What are the other secrets?
--Brother Roger: My
brothers and I have been astounded for almost 40 years. Why do youths from
Europe and other continents come to Taizé? Why does this endeavor continue to
grow? Above all, we want to be men who listen, rather than spiritual
masters.
We are helped in this initiative by incomparable nuns; the
Sisters of St. Andrew have been in Taizé for the past 36 years. Trained in
Ignatian spirituality, they are prepared to discern and listen. Polish Ursuline
Sisters have also been here for four years. They are especially dedicated to
welcoming those coming from Eastern European countries.
--Q: Youth feel
welcome at Taizé. However, in some parishes, sadly, this is not the case. Do you
have any advice for a parish's "hospitality"?
--Brother Roger: I always
feel very severe reservations interiorly when it comes to giving advice. It is
true that for many years now, my brothers and I have asked ourselves this
question: Why have so many young people stopped going to Church to pray? Why are
so many youths indifferent? During the long periods of
preparation for the
European meetings, when some of my brothers spend several months in parishes in
big cities, we are asked questions. If youths could only discover that Christ
comes to remove us from our isolation and help us discover the mystery of
communion called Church ...
It is important to support that which allows
the Church to be what she is or, above all, to reinvent a communion of love in
which each one asks himself: How do I want to live day after day in goodness of
heart?
It is easier for Christians to be in communion with one another
when simplicity is intimately united to goodness. Many youths say they are bored
in Church, and this hurts us, when we know that so many priests and lay people
do everything possible to welcome them.
The combined fullness of sung
prayer and also time for silence can help everyone's participation. As regards
us in Taizé, singing and music are essential to maintain contemplative
expectation and express the mystery of faith.
From Taizé's very
beginning, I realized that singing would always be an irreplaceable support for
community prayer. It is true that the quality of the sound of a compact disc in
church to transmit music and singing is of utmost importance. God is not
visible, nor is his Holy Spirit. However, God is always present through
the
Holy Spirit. Communion with God takes place especially through the beauty of
song. A few words, expressed slowly or sung, can sustain our desire for ommunion
with him: very short texts, brief meditations that young people can take with
them.
As, for example, these brief words of St. Augustine: "Jesus Christ,
interior Light, do not allow my darkness to speak to me; make me welcome your
love." God edifies us with sung prayer, even in times of
trial.
