Taize pilgrimage calls for a change of heart

Meeting the challenges in the word – from social to political – requires an individual change of heart, a religious leader said.

Brother Alois, head of the Taize ecumenical group, said major problems in the world demand more than just economic and technological proposals.

Bro. Alois had looked at the world’s problems from the point of view of the work that the Church, as the family of God, has to do.

Such challenges, according to him, require an ethical behaviour which respects the principles of universal solidarity, social justice and responsibility.

“We all feel that there needs to be major changes in our world. The structures of our societies and patterns of thought from the past are providing to be inadequate and insufficient to create greater justice on earth, to reduce poverty, to ensure that persons and peoples can live together in peace,” Bro. Alois said.

“But we (must) also discover that necessary change, particularly an overhaul of the world economic and financial system, is not possible without a change in the human heart,” he said.

Bro. Alois made the statement during the “Taize Pilgrimage of Trust” currently being held at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati City.

Pilgrims

Around 3, 000 young pilgrims – Christians and Muslims – from Asian countries as well as from Europe, Australia, New Zealand and even from North America attended the gathering.

Bro. Alois stressed that in today’s world, people are “thirst for life in fullness.”

In ever human heart there is longing, the longing to be loved and to love, he said. At the same time, he added, people experience that said longing is only rarely satisfied, and never for all time.

“From discouraging us, this can allow us to discover over and over again a personal communion with God,” he said.

“And then our heart changes. And not only our heart, but also our way of looking and our behaviour.”

“We become more capable of discerning what is good and what is bad; without being naive we become better able to dialogue, to reach out to others, to make our life a pilgrimage of trust,” said Bro. Alois. And in this way we will contribute as believers to help determine the face of the new world that is emerging.

Witnesses of peace

The Pilgrimage of Trust on earth has been started by Bro. Roger Schutz, founder of Taize community 30 years ago, to encourage young people to become witnesses of peace and reconciliation in their local communities, and churches.

The Taize brothers go to different countries and cities to hold prayers meetings with young people to let them experience the universality of the Church.

“It’s a pilgrimage of reconciliation,” Bro. Alois said. “We try to bring people together from different backgrounds to listen to each other and to share,” he added.

Attracted by the witness of unity and life of prayer, young people from all over the world come to Taize, and stay with the community for few months.

“In Taize we welcome young people from all over the world every day. And each year, there are also young people from the Philippines coming and staying with us [for] two or three months,” said Bro. Alois.

The pilgrimage at the Don Bosco will end on Feb. 7 with a Eucharistic celebration to be led by the Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and several other bishops and priests. (Roy Lagarde)