Br. Roger of Taize - Rest in Peace

When I was young, at a time when Europe was torn apart by so many conflicts, I kept on asking myself: Why all these confrontations?  Why do so many people, even Christians, condemn one another out of hand?  And I wondered:  is there, on this earth, a way of reaching complete understanding of others?  Then came a day - I can still remember the date, and I could describe the place:  the subdued light of a late summer evening, darkness settling over the countryside -- a day when I made a decision.  I said to myself, if this way does exist, begin with yourself and resolve to understand every person fully.  That day, I was certain the vow I had made was for life.  It involved nothing less than returning again and again, my whole life long, to this irrevocable decision:  seek to understand all, rather than to be understood.

Br. Roger of Taize 1915-2005

On August 16, during a prayer service at Taize,

Brother Roger is fatally wounded by a mentally unbalanced assailant.

  He dies at the age of ninety.

Teaching

“To teach is to create a space where obedience to truth is practiced”

• Parker Palmer

Obedience

“We [parents] want virtuous obedience. We want to train the habit of control, doing what is right because it is right. Children need to learn to focus on God’s will, not their own and on a Spirit-inspired control, not on self-control. Remember, a mature adult will die to self and be controlled by the Lord. We are training our children to become mature adults.”

Elizabeth Foss