Welcome to all of you who have come to Taizé this week, especially from France and Germany, but also from other countries. It’s a great joy to have volunteers with us from Indonesia, Colombia, China, Japan, USA....

Without perhaps realising it, you are a sign of a communion that knows no limits in Christ, that does not abolish our persons, our cultures and our languages, but that goes beyond them to make us understand that we are all loved by God.

We are at the beginning of Holy Week, during which we will follow Jesus step by step along the path of the gift of his life. Why did he have to die? Why did he suffer so much? These are difficult questions, but when we look at the Gospels, we see that he never stopped serving and loving, even in the face of rejection and unjust condemnation.

This is how Jesus shows us the face of God. He does not stand in a position of power, which would be his due, but gives himself without calculation, even at the cost of his own life. He enables us to understand that nothing can separate us from the love of God. That is what we are going to celebrate at Easter.

And the day after tomorrow, on Palm Sunday, we can have a foretaste of the joy of Easter. We will all meet together at 9am at the St Stephen’s source where the branches will be blessed by a Protestant sister and a Catholic priest in a beautiful gesture of unity in Christ.

During the Eucharist, I will pray the following words:

“Christ Jesus, gentle and humble of heart, you never sought triumph. And yet when the crowds cheered you as you entered the city of peace on Palm Sunday, even knowing that the time was drawing near when you would have to go to the end of the love you came to show us, you welcomed their mirth. To us, who are often faced with situations of violence and helplessness, grant us the gift of discerning the signs of your joy, of your presence, even when night falls. The trusting of faith then tells us that with you suffering will never have the last word.”

How can we discern the signs of Christ’s presence at a time when we are so shaken by what is happening in the world? This is the challenge facing you after your stay in Taizé. It won’t be easy, but together in your chaplaincies and youth groups, you can support each other.

I’d like to share with you a meeting that took place with people of a different faith from our region. I have asked Yosuke, one of our young volunteers, to tell us what happened:

I was one of those who were invited to visit the Essalem mosque in Mâcon, not very far from here. And when we arrived I immediately felt something that I can only describe as being welcomed fully. 

 

With pride they showed us their place of worship and teaching and they even invited us to join them during their time of prayer. Not to take part in their prayer, but just to be there with them, because they wanted to share with us this intimate space. And even though their traditions and customs are very different from what we do here, yet you could feel how it came from the same place of love, hope and kindness.

 

They shared with us that for them to honour guests is to honour God. I understood what this meant when they shared with us their food. That even during their time of Ramadan they had taken the time to prepare an amazing meal with many different dishes. It was so good, far better than what we can prepare in the Big Kitchen for all of you.

 

For them to honour guests is to honour God. And yes, I felt truly honoured.

And last Saturday, a group from this mosque came in turn to visit us here in Taizé. The presence of these Muslim friends from Mâcon was a celebration. In an atmosphere of mutual listening and sharing, we realised that beyond the differences that exist between us, we have a common humanity that will enable us to build something together.

In the Gospels, Jesus met people of other religions. He listened to them and sometimes learned from them. So this encounter brought us into the presence of Christ, who opens us up to a communion with everyone that will lead us to welcome the peace he offers us. Have you already had such experiences? Can you make such encounters of friendship a reality?

Come and join us on Friday evening at 8pm when we pray in silence for peace in our world. We cannot forget the suffering in countries where war is raging. Our brothers have just returned from Ukraine, and visits there will continue. Others will be leaving for Lebanon, and Israel and the West Bank after Easter. Our Sudanese friends remind us of the horrors that are taking place in their country, and tomorrow, following the initiative of the ‘Pax Cristi’ movement, there will be a day of prayer for Sudan. Praying in silence is a sign of our desire for this long-awaited peace.

And at the end of the year, from 28 December to 1 January, you are all expected in Paris and the Île-de-France region for the European meeting at the invitation of the Archbishop of Paris and the bishops of the province, as well as Protestant and Orthodox leaders. This meeting will also be a sign of our desire for peace and fraternity in the human family, yes, for hope beyond all hope.