During this week, wherever you are from, you have all come with your own challenges. I hope that the times of sharing and common prayer have helped you discover a deeper unity in the midst of your diversity. Listening to people who are different from us can be a real gift. It helps us overcome the barriers behind which we so easily hide and resist the traps of polarisation and prejudice, which promise security but ultimately bring only sadness and isolation. Are we ready for that challenge?

Paradoxically, accepting this challenge means being ready to let go of part of ourselves. It means allowing ourselves to be surprised by what we discover in another person. When we recognise the other for who they truly are—or when they recognise us—something within us is transformed.

The Gospel shows us that this is also true of our relationship with Christ. Before we can recognise him, we often discover that he has already recognised us, and we saw that yesterday as we celebrated the feast of Mary Magdalene.

Early on the first day of the week, Mary went to the tomb after Jesus' death on the cross. Her faithful friendship with him draws her there, even when all hope seems lost.

She is weeping because the body of Jesus is no longer there. The angels ask her why she is weeping. Then Jesus himself asks the same question, before adding another: "Whom are you seeking?"

Mary mistakes him for the gardener. But when Jesus calls her by name, her eyes are opened. In the biblical tradition, a person's name reveals their deepest identity. Mary discovers that she has first been recognised by Christ, and only then can she recognise him. She calls him, "Rabbuni"—"my Teacher." He is the one he has always been for her.

Mary wants to hold on to Jesus, but he tells her not to cling to him. Instead, he sends her to announce to his friends that he is returning to his Father and their Father, to his God and their God. In this way, Mary, a woman, becomes the Apostle to the apostles. Though Jesus will no longer be visibly present, Mary carries his presence within her through the Good News she is entrusted to proclaim.

Though we may not always recognise Jesus, he is present, in our tears as well as in our joys. Though we may not always feel ready to respond to his call, he continues to sends us. He opens before us a path towards communion with God and with one another.

Yuliana speaks:

My name is Yuliana, I am 18 years old, I am a volunteer from Ukraine, and today I want to share my story with you. Since I was a little child, my parents raised me with Christian values. Every Sunday we went to church, where I listened to the sermons. In a way, I believed that God existed, but to me, He wasn't a loving Father - He was someone looking down strictly from heaven. When the full-scale invasion began in 2022, the lives of Ukrainians changed forever.

On the evening of February 23rd, I was laughing at my dad, who was warning us about the war, but on the 24th, he woke us up with the words: "Wake up, Russia is launching missiles at us." We learned to live without electricity, sleep in bomb shelters, and get used to the sound of sirens that made my little brother cry. But worst of all, we learned to bury our loved ones. My mother’s cousin went missing in action, and we still know nothing about him. This is how millions of Ukrainians live every single day.

I constantly ask God: why is all of this happening? Why, in the 21st century, are children dying from shelling, and young people, who should be building the future of our country and the world, losing their lives to war? I don't have an answer, just as I have no answers to countless other questions. Shortly before coming to Taizé, my grandmother passed away, and I asked God again why He took her. Back then, I tried to comfort myself by thinking, "Maybe I don't understand it now, but I will someday." But the priest I shared this with told me: "You don't have to understand anything - you just have to trust Him."

And now I am here, in Taizé. Do I fully understand why? No. But I believe He is right here beside me, even when I am sorting recycling or cleaning toilets. Here, I have met incredible people who opened their hearts to me, and through them, I can see God's presence. I often ask myself two questions: why are people so cruel, and why are people so good? I don't know what will happen next or how, but deep in my heart, I hold onto the hope that everything will be okay, and I certainly won't fall - because He is with me.

Please come and join us tomorrow evening already at 8pm in the church as we pray in silence for peace in our world. I do not forget as well our volunteers who are with us from Lebanon. Our pray shows that we will not fall into indifference faced with the violence imposed on so many people in countries where war is ravaging.

As you leave Taizé, I would like to invite all of you to continue to pray for peace and if, during this week, you met with young people from Ukraine or other war-torn countries, please find a way of staying in touch with them. In that way, we can continue to support each other.

Remembering the example of Mary Magdalene, whom are you seeking? How have you met with Christ this week? Where is he sending you and with what Good News? Keep these questions in your hearts in the coming days.