Trust and joy

On 28 December, some 30,000 youngsters, mainly Europeans but also from other continents, will congregate in Rotterdam for the 33rd Pilgrimage of Trust animated by the Taizé Community. On their arrival in the Dutch city they will receive the “Letter from Chile” written by frère Alois, Prior of Taizé: through this letter the participants will be invited to reflect on the meaning of joy and solidarity with the suffering, “a joy that resists discouragement”. During the days of the event (the complete programme can be downloaded from www.taize.fr/IMG/pdf/livret_it.pdf) there will be common moments of prayer immediately after lunch and immediately after dinner in the Ahoy exhibition centre, where meals will also be taken; on the afternoons of 29 and 30 December there will be thematic meetings to be held in various venues in the city, including the Russian Orthodox church, the Anglican church of St. Mary, the international Scottish church and the Mevlana mossque. These meetings will be animated by brothers of the Taizé Community and by those involved in the local territory: the mayor of Rotterdam, some Dutch bishops, pastors and politicians will make their contribution to help the young to reflect on their own path in life and their engagement in the Church and in society. Frère Alois will himself speak to the young each evening during the common prayer in the exhibition centre. In the mornings the youngsters will pray and meditate in the various parishes, both Catholic and Protestant, of the city that are hosting them. On the night of 31 December they will hold a prayer vigil for peace followed by the “festival of peoples”.Forgiveness and justice. The “Letter from Chile” owes its name to the youth meeting recently held in Santiago, from 8 to 12 December. This second international meeting in Latin America organized by Taizé brought some 8,000 participants from every continent to the Chilean capital, including some European representatives. In Santiago frère Alois commented each evening on one of the chapters of the Letter dedicated to joy: joy – he stressed – is not a form of escapism from the problems of life” but, “on the contrary enables us to look reality in the face, and also suffering”. According to the prior of Taizé, one of the inspiring signs of our time is the “generosity” with which some individuals, in Chile as in Haiti, “have helped the victims of natural disasters”, but however necessary this aid is, it “is not enough” in itself, because “what counts is to do justice to the most underprivileged persons” and, as the Christians of Latin America remind us, “the struggle against poverty is the struggle against injustice”. “Immigration” too is considered a “sign of our times” and in spite of the fact that it is “perceived as a danger”, it is “a reality that is here to stay and already shaping our future”. Frère Alois also points out that “in many places of the world the wounds of history are deep” and that forgiveness, which opens up prospects of peace, “does not mean that guilt should be forgotten” or “injustice supported”. Men and women of communion. Many messages of support for the Taizé community and the young participants in the end-of-year pilgrimage to Rotterdam have in the meantime arrived. Pope Benedict XVI has also sent a message of good wishes to them: “May God guide you to the wellsprings of joy” and he adds: “You are discovering these days that this joy does not take you away from solidarity with the sufferings of humanity, but is intimately related to trust in God”. “Thus you will be filled with the courage to swim against the stream when necessary. Not giving into the mirage of individualism, you will become ever more men and women of communion, through the gift of yourselves for others”. Lastly, inviting the participants to join him for World Youth Day in Madrid next August, the Pope entrusts a mission to the youth of Taizé: that of “transforming your local communities into places of heartfelt kindness and trust. The peace that the Holy Spirit will give you will thus radiate outwards for others and for the world”. Good wishes have also been received from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams who in a long message to the participants speaks of the “joy of love”. Not the joy about success or comfort, prosperity or achievement, but only about love. “because love without limit is the foundation of all reality”. There is plenty to rejoice in that, the archbishop continues: “Even when our own lives are shattered, our own security broken, we can still say, with wonder, ‘What lasts is love; what is most basic is love'”.The responsibility of peace. “No single country or group, no matter how powerful – writes UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon – can take on the major issues of the day alone. In an era when challenges spill over borders and have global reach, our future depends on how well we work together”. “You are an important part of this solution. The world – says Ban Ki Moon to the youth of Taizé – needs your active engagement. After all, you will soon be the government officials who will negotiate peace”. On the same wavelength is Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople: “The responsibility is yours to act in society in order to promote the principles of justice and love. You are our future, the future of the Church”. Messages of good wishes were also received from the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, and the Secretary General of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Setri Nyomi.