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    • The value of silence
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      • Preparing a time of prayer
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      • Icons in worship
  • Songs
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  • Meditations and Reflections
    • A Way of the Gospel at St Stephen’s Source
    • “A very simple reality”
    • Feeling that we are not alone can strengthen our hope
    • Brotherhood begins by listening to others
    • Short meditation of the day
    • Commented Bible Passages
    • Questions on the Bible and the Christian Faith
      • Baptism
      • Children: What does it mean to “welcome God’s kingdom like a child”?
      • The Mystery of Christmas
      • The Church
      • Church and State: What does the Bible tell us about the attitude of believers towards the wider society?
      • The commandments
      • The Cosmos: The Cosmos: What is the place of human beings in the universe?
      • The Cross
      • Death: What enables us to say that Jesus died “for us”?
      • Dialogue: Religions and The Gospel
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      • The Eucharist Seen by a Christian of the Second Century
      • What does it mean to evangelize?
      • Faith
      • Faith: How does the New Testament speak about faith?
      • Faith: What Is Distinctive About the Christian Faith?
      • Fear of the Lord
      • Forgiveness: If Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, why did he keep him in the circle of his close companions until the end?
      • Forgiveness: Does forgiving mean forgetting?
      • Freedom: Am I still free if I obey a call from Christ?
      • Freedom: Is everything that happens decided by God in advance?
      • Happiness: Do we have the right to be happy when others are suffering?
      • Hell: Must a Christian believe in the existence of hell?
      • Christian hope
      • Judgment: Why did Jesus tell his disciples not to judge?
      • Love of enemies
      • Mercy
      • Mercy: If God is merciful, why does the Bible contain threats?
      • God’s presence: If God is present in everyone, what does faith add?
      • Reconciliation: What are the presuppositions for a true dialogue between Christians of different confessions?
      • Reconciliation: How can we bring together diversity and reconciliation?
      • Sin: Should we regret our sins?
      • The suffering of the innocent
      • Are the differences between Christians a problem or an asset?
      • The world : Can we really make the world better?
    • Portraits of witnesses to Christ
      • Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
      • Mother Teresa
      • Saint John Chrysostom (344 – 407): an astonishing modernity
      • Saint Augustine (354-430)
      • The Relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)
      • A Path of Reconciliation : Brother Roger
      • Jeremiah
      • Dorotheus of Gaza (Sixth Century) Humility and Communion
      • Franz Stock (1904-1948), a Life Given for Reconciliation
      • Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955): Taking the World Seriously
      • A prophet who comforts (Isaiah 40–55)
    • Short Writings from Taizé
      • 1. I Believe; Help My Unbelief
      • 2. Saved by the Cross of Christ?
      • 3. What Is Distinctive About the Christian Faith?
      • 4. Dialogue and Sharing with Believers of Other Religions
      • 5. Thrice Holy God
      • 6. Do We Need the Church?
      • 7. The Eucharist and the Early Christians
      • 8. It Is the Word That Is the Bread of Silence
      • 9. The Two Faces of the Cross
      • 10. Brother Roger, Founder of Taizé
      • 11. Blessed in Our Human Frailty
      • 12. Easter Voices
      • 13. Is Christ Divided?
      • 14. Pleasure, Happiness, Joy
      • 15. “Rooted and Built Up in Christ”
      • 16. Icons
      • 17. “Make the Unity of Christ’s Body Your Passionate Concern”
      • 18. “I Have Come That They May Have Life”
      • 19. The Rainbow After The Flood
      • 20. Does the Book of Revelation have something to say to us today?
      • 21. Toward God, in God
      • 22. Voices from the Beginning
      • 23. Should We Fear God?
      • 24. Unfailing Faith
      • 25. “Go, I am with you”
    • Weekly Meditations by Brother Alois
      • The Church of Reconciliation at 50
      • Christ brings us together beyond all borders
      • The Risen Christ Makes Us Passionate Seekers of Communion
      • The Wellspring of Hope
      • Visits to Keep Alive a Flame of Hope
      • Prayer with the Lakota in South Dakota
      • God’s Love, Source of Human Solidarity
      • The Courage to Be Peacemakers
      • In Memory of Brother Roger
      • In Communion with Eastern Christians
      • Christ is our hope, he is alive
      • When we share God gives us the joy of living
      • Close to Wounded Humanity
      • Promoting Universal Friendship
      • Committing Your Entire Life
      • Let us be peacemakers wherever we live
      • All of us can plant seeds of unity
      • A little parable of this universality of God’s love
      • By welcoming refugees, we receive more than we give
      • Looking towards the Light of Christ
      • Trust in God’s love was at the heart of Brother Roger’s life
      • The goodness of God will have the last word
      • Easter 2017 / Meditation by Brother Alois: Witnesses to the Risen Christ
      • Ascension 2017 / Meditation by Brother Alois: Let us set off toward new horizons
      • Find a source of hope
      • Stand firm in hope
      • Looking towards the light of the transfigured Christ
      • Simplify our lives in order to share
      • The friendship of Christ for each and every one of us
      • Allow friendship to grow in order to prepare peace
      • The Bible is the story of God’s faithfulness
      • Christ calls us to be, together, a sign of his peace among humans
      • Widening Our Friendship
      • Going together to the wellsprings of joy
    • Letter for the year
      • Brother Alois 2019: Let us not forget hospitality!
      • Brother Alois 2018: Inexhaustible Joy
      • Brother Alois 2017: Together, Opening Paths of Hope
      • Brother Alois 2017: A Call to Church Leaders for 2017
      • Brother Alois 2017: Towards the Unity of the European Continent
      • Brother Alois 2016: The Courage of Mercy
      • Taizé 2015
      • Brother Alois 2012-2015: Towards a New Solidarity
      • Brother Alois 2015: Four proposals in order to be “salt of the earth”.
      • Brother Alois 2014: Four Proposals for “seeking visible communion among all who love Christ”
      • Brother Alois 2013: Four Proposals to Uncover the Wellsprings of Trust in God
      • Brother Alois 2011: Letter from Chile
      • Brother Alois 2010: Letter from China
      • Brother Alois 2009: Letter from Kenya
      • For an open Europe, a land of solidarity
      • Brother Alois 2008: Letter from Cochabamba
      • Brother Alois: Letter to those who want to follow Christ
      • Brother Alois: A call for the reconciliation of Christians
      • Brother Alois 2007: Letter from Kolkata
      • 2006: Brother Roger’s unfinished letter
      • Brother Roger 2005: A future of peace
    • Letter from Taizé: Testimonies
      • Sharing what we have
      • What are you doing with your freedom?
      • For a Fraternal World
      • Opting for Joy
      • Unlimited Compassion
      • Desire for Forgiveness
    • Towards a new solidarity
      • "Towards a new solidarity": 2012-2015: Three Years of Searching
      • Reflection Group "Towards a New Solidarity": In Taizé, reflecting more deeply with young people
      • Themes
        • Leaping Over Walls of Separation
        • Solidarity with All Creation
        • Indignation, Passivity or Commitment
        • Peace to Those Who Are Near
      • Listening to young people...
        • Listening to the Young People of Asia
        • Listening to the Young People of Europe
        • Towards a new solidarity: Listening to the Youth of America
        • Listening to young people from Oceania

Letter for the year

29 December 2018

Brother Alois 2019: Let us not forget hospitality!

Do not forget to show hospitality, for by so doing some people have welcomed angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2) The pilgrimage of trust, an uninterrupted succession of meetings of young adults which began in Taizé several decades ago, continues today on all the continents. In each of these gatherings, one of the most memorable experiences is hospitality, both for the young participants (...)

26 December 2017

Brother Alois 2018: Inexhaustible Joy

A young woman who was very ill said to me last year, “I love life.” I remain deeply moved by the inner joy that filled her, in spite of the narrow limits imposed by her illness. I was touched not only by her words, but by the beautiful expression on her face. And what can we say about the joy of children? Recently I saw some children in Africa whose presence, even in refugee camps where so many (...)

26 December 2016

Brother Alois 2017: Together, Opening Paths of Hope

At the beginning of September 2016, a stage in the pilgrimage of trust brought together 7500 young Africans in Cotonou, Benin. (1) The theme of this gathering will continue to inspire us throughout the year 2017: together—not alone, but supported by one another—we can open paths of hope—in ourselves, around us and for the human family. One of the questions asked at Cotonou was this: “To nourish (...)

10 January 2017

Brother Alois 2017: A Call to Church Leaders for 2017

On the road together! In 2017, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation offers an opportunity to advance towards unity and to go beyond mere cordiality. There will always be differences between the Churches, as well as within each Church. These differences will remain subjects for frank dialogue; they can be an enrichment. But, in all the Churches, over time denominational identity (...)

10 January 2017

Brother Alois 2017: Towards the Unity of the European Continent

As migrants arrive, let us go beyond fear! The meeting in Riga organized by the Taizé Community at the end of December 2016 brought together young adults from across Europe.(1) Coming both from member-countries of the European Union and countries that do not belong to it, they had an experience of community capable of uniting people from the whole continent. This Nordic gathering also enabled (...)

26 December 2015

Brother Alois 2016: The Courage of Mercy

Throughout the year 2015, at Taizé, we looked for ways to get involved in new solidarities; these are so urgent today. Across the earth, new forms of distress — migratory, ecological and social — are a challenge for believers of different religions and for non-believers alike. Armed violence is wreaking havoc in the name of inhuman ideologies. While remaining clear-headed, we shall continue our (...)

7 August 2015

Taizé 2015

God of compassion, we thank you for Brother Roger’s life. In a world often torn apart by violence, he wanted to create a community that was a parable of communion. We praise you for the witness he gave to the Risen Christ and for his faithfulness until death. Send your Holy Spirit upon us so that we too may be witnesses to reconciliation in our daily lives. Make us creators of unity among (...)

26 December 2011

Brother Alois 2012-2015: Towards a New Solidarity

Letter 2012-2015 Click the image to download or view

26 December 2014

Brother Alois 2015: Four proposals in order to be “salt of the earth”.

The letter “Towards a New Solidarity” (2012-2015) continues to express the essentials of the common journey that is leading us to August 16, 2015, the tenth anniversary of Brother Roger’s entrance into the life of eternity (see the program for the year 2015 below). Here are four proposals in order to be “salt of the earth”.First proposal: Sharing with those around us a zest for life “You are the (...)

26 December 2013

Brother Alois 2014: Four Proposals for “seeking visible communion among all who love Christ”

The Letter “Towards a New Solidarity”, continues to be the basis of the common journey that is leading us by stages to 2015. It commits us for the coming year to “seeking visible communion among all who love Christ.” Here are four proposals to join in this search.Christ extended his friendship to all, without rejecting anyone. Those who love Christ all across the earth form, in his steps, a large community of friendship. This is called communion. For this reason, they have a contribution to make in healing the wounds of humanity: without (...)

18 February 2013

Brother Alois 2013: Four Proposals to Uncover the Wellsprings of Trust in God

The Letter published last year in Berlin, “Towards a New Solidarity”, will continue to support our searching during the coming three years. We are devoting the year 2013 to finding ways of “uncovering the wellsprings of trust in God.” The “Year of Faith” launched by Pope Benedict XVI points us in this direction. Here are four proposals to help us go further with our searching.First Proposal - Talk together about our faith journey What is the meaning of our lives? How do we deal with suffering and death? Where do we find life-giving joy? These (...)

13 December 2010

Brother Alois 2011: Letter from Chile

12 December 2009

Brother Alois 2010: Letter from China

15 December 2008

Brother Alois 2009: Letter from Kenya

From the 26th to the 30th of November 2008, 7000 young people from different regions of Kenya as well as from other African countries and other continents met together in Nairobi. It was the second international meeting organized in Africa by the Taizé Community, after one in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1995. This stage in the “pilgrimage of trust on earth” was hosted by more than eighty parishes of the different Churches of Nairobi. Its aim was to help create more fraternal relationships, and to move beyond the mistaken views of others (...)

23 March 2009

For an open Europe, a land of solidarity

Since the young adult meeting is taking place in Brussels, headquarters of numerous European institutions, it seemed important to address the following message to the European Union. On 15 December, Brother Alois delivered the message personally to Mr José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and he sent it to the heads of state and government of the 27 countries of the Union. (...)

7 December 2007

Brother Alois 2008: Letter from Cochabamba

Prepared for months with the parishes and families of the city and its surroundings, a Latin American young adult meeting was held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from October 10-14, 2007. It brought together 7000 participants from the different regions of Bolivia, from all the countries of Latin America and from several European countries. This “Letter from Cochabamba” for the year 2008 was first distributed during the European meeting in Geneva at the end of December 2007. Reconciliation, a fire Together in Bolivia with young people from all the (...)

7 December 2007

Brother Alois: Letter to those who want to follow Christ

In the Gospel we hear Jesus call, “Follow me!” Can we respond to him by a lifelong commitment? In all of us there is the desire for future happiness. But we can have the impression that we are conditioned by so many limits that at times we fall prey to discouragement. And yet God is present: “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” (Mark 1:15). We become aware of God’s presence when we face the situations of our life just as they are, in order to create on the basis of what is. No one would want to get bogged down in dreams of an idealized existence. (...)

7 December 2007

Brother Alois: A call for the reconciliation of Christians

When he left Geneva in 1940 to found the Taizé Community, Brother Roger was motivated by this intuition: for Christians to be ferments of peace in humanity, they cannot put off reconciliation among themselves until later. Many years afterwards, this is how he described his personal journey: “Marked by the witness of my grandmother’s life, following her I found my own Christian identity by reconciling within myself the faith of my origins with the Mystery of the Catholic faith, without breaking fellowship with anyone.” This road opened by (...)

10 December 2006

Brother Alois 2007: Letter from Kolkata

Thirty years ago, Brother Roger spent some time in Kolkata (Calcutta) with brothers and young people from different continents, living in a poor district and taking part in Mother Teresa’s work with abandoned children and the dying. He brought back the Letter to the People of God, made public during a young adult meeting at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Later on, he wrote several messages and three books with Mother Teresa. This presence in 1976 was the seed of a lasting relationship of our community with the Christians of India. Visits (...)

12 December 2005

2006: Brother Roger’s unfinished letter

The afternoon of the day he died, August 16th, Brother Roger called one of the brothers and said to him, “Note down these words carefully!” There was a long silence while he attempted to formulate his thinking. Then he began, “To the extent that our community creates possibilities in the human family to widen…” And he stopped there, too exhausted to finish his phrase. These words reflect the passion that inspired him, even in his old age. What did he mean by “widen”? He probably wanted to say: do everything possible to make more perceptible for (...)

13 December 2004

Brother Roger 2005: A future of peace

This letter, written by Brother Roger of Taizé and translated into 55 different languages (including 24 from Asia), was made public during the young adult European meeting in Lisbon. It will be used for reflection throughout the year 2005 during the weekly meetings in Taizé as well as those held elsewhere, in Europe or on other continents.“God has plans for a future of peace for you, not of misfortune; God wants to give you a future and a hope.” [10] Today, a great many people are longing for a future of peace, for humanity to be freed from (...)


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