Canterbury Colorado

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

Reflections on TaizÉ

RYAN FREEDLE

.From the very beginning Taize shattered the few expectations I had.  Due to the limited knowledge of monasteries and the monastic life that I had I had initially imagined that Taize would be a large stone building with large barrack-style rooms for a hundred people at once to sleep.  I was ready for no showers and austere food.  However, as we descended the stairs from the bus that had carried us there from the train station my eyes were greeted by a series of benches covered with a type of palm/grass thatched roof that one would expect to see in Hawaii.  It was in this outdoor greeting center that Taize began to unfold before me.  They started with the important things and we were guided to a fair sized room that was a fairly recent construction when speaking in European terms.  Here a kind German man not much older than I was helped us to pick our jobs thus indoctrinating us into the gentle sustaining rhythm of that place. After this short process we went outside for tea time where we received a sweet cup of tea and some European style cookies.  The sweet tasteful food, supportive company, and small amounts of centering manual work produced a comforting sensation that I would liken to a trip to my grandmother’s house.  It just felt kind from the beginning.  Soon the bells rang and we followed the crowd to a large warehouse-like building. Inside the front the famous Taize icons and a beautiful altar were assembled with candles and other meditative lights. There were also large swooping sections of autumn colored cloth that seemed to say to me that this was both a place of deep thought and change. Lines in the carpet made of tape instructed us where we were to kneel throughout the service and then it began.  It was simple and rhythmic, just like everything else there and the gentle cycling nature of the prayer and the lifestyle there contrasted sharply with the consumed and consuming life of a hundred tasks and places to be and things to do that represented what life had been like for me in the United States. There were times for learning and times for being. There were some people who fell asleep and others who were never more alert. There were times for song and times for silence. One could join in or drop out for a moment of prayer as desired. It really mirrored the way that life should be lived: simply and with a great awareness of its cyclical nature and the fact that there is a time and a place for everything.

             After prayer we discovered that we had relatively normal sized rooms with only three bunk beds inside. Nearby were clean restrooms with sinks, individual showers, and nice working toilets.  It was a comforting place. Over the next few days things were just great. We met together in “Bible introduction” groups where I and one other member of our group were the only Americans and the only native English speakers.  The lessons were simple and easily approachable for everyone whether they had just heard about the Bible this afternoon or had heard bedtime stories from Daniel since they were born.  This led us to some interesting and meaningful discussions. Since they were simple lessons on more general Christian spiritual ideals and principles, we were able to expand the main idea into social topics and usually the longer we went the deeper it got.  Any ideas we had needed to be translated into German since the rest of our group was from Switzerland or Germany. It was interesting being there and having to hear about others ideas from someone else and being in such close proximity to others without being to directly communicate.  I was however struck by the strikingly high number of people who spoke really good English. It really humbled me and made me examine how things were in my own culture. After this my group would prepare for lunch where we would wash the dishes. Chores there were simple and fun.  To accomplish everything on a large scale so that everyone’s needs could be met, we divided up into groups and had to use good teamwork.  Since not every job had enough people signed up, sometimes others would volunteer or I would volunteer to do other work.  It was a wonderful environment to work in. We would have fun discussions about differences in our respective countries and often this time would be filled with laughter.  At night after the final prayer, most people would gather at a nearby café to simply enjoy each other’s company and a good cup of coffee or an ice cream cone.

             To sum everything up something about Taize made me feel really alive. I found that I was more engaging with others and that I was more in tune with how I was feeling and how I was thinking.  I was more open to receiving ideas and creating them.  This was a fantastic place to feel that way because there is such a rich diversity of experience to both draw from and contribute to there.  It was a place that was distant and set aside with a purpose.  For this reason it was an excellent place for a pilgrimage. It allowed me to distance myself from life as I knew it and draw closer to God. The simple rhythm and the profound prayer time helped me to do some much needed and most welcome spiritual thinking.  I left having had time to consider both where I was and discern about the future. I left feeling centered and I know that my spiritual journey was aided greatly by Taize.  Most importantly I really want to go back, which I think is the measure of a great journey and a great place. 

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Reflection—Freedle