Canterbury Colorado

Love one another as I have loved you. John 13:34

Reflections on TaizÉ

SETH RAYMOND

On May 18th of this year, 21 students and 4 chaperones from several Colorado campus ministries left for a ten day pilgrimage to the Taizé Community in Taizé, France.  Although the pilgrimage included 2 1/2 days of sightseeing in Paris, the heart of the pilgrimage was seven days spent entering the rhythm of monastic life as lived by the ecumenical community of brothers.

 

For many of us the monastic lifestyle was completely foreign.  Although the Episcopal Church has vibrant monastic communities, many students were unaware of how monastic life has expanded across denominations, especially in the last century.  What made Taizé compelling to our motley crew was the ecumenical nature of worship and inclusion into the rhythm of life.  The monastery's mission is to spread the love of God to young adults throughout the world, regardless of language, nationality, or denomination.  We found ourselves immersed in an atmosphere where sharing beliefs, cultures, and traditions is both welcomed and encouraged.

 

 For example, I found myself in a bible study group composed of German Protestants, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and Episcopalians.  As the title of this article suggests, Taizé trusts that God will use all of our experiences to unite in the gospel of Christ and find commonalities all Christians share.

 

My personal highlight from the pilgrimage was the bible study led in the house where I kept silence from Thursday evening through Sunday morning.  Brother Sebastien led us from despair at the crucifixion on Friday to rejoicing in the resurrection on Sunday.  His weaving of words from Hosea, John, Mark, Luke, and Romans deepened my conversion to Christ as both the son of God as well as the redeemer of sins.  We were reminded of how Jesus' humiliation on the cross was turned upside down at Pentecost when the disciples received the first fruits of the spirit.

 

These first fruits are justice, peace, and joy.  Taizé taught me the importance of living into these fruits daily through prayer, song, and above all, trust, that we are all on the same pilgrimage and God is working powerfully and mysteriously in those around us to bring about the new kingdom.
Text Box: Reflection—Mills

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