CHAPTER 4: MONASTIC VOCATION WITH ECUMENICAL IMPLICATIONS 139 give to that presence, we could discuss for another fifteen days and we would still not uh….340 TA then speaks of congregations who have an understanding of the Eucharist where this notion of praesentia realis is absent. Surprisingly, even though he himself considers it as an essential (or even the most essential) aspect of the Eucharist, he would still consider participating. Without formulating a definitive answer, TA adds: Don’t we genuinely believe in Taizé that the only way is by celebrating together and living together, you know… um, so, if the only thing I say is: ‘I’ll come to you but only to discuss…because I genuinely disagree,’ then, then I would, I would perhaps in the end betray… rather the very intention I depart from as Taizé community. So, what should I do in such a situation? Should I say: ‘no, wait a minute… we as Taizé community have a high idea of, of Eucharist, so it is important to pose that and not to partake just like that, when you feel like, well, this is not what we as a community believe?’ Or should one say: ‘No, wait, we believe that only through celebrating together, we can come closer; therefore, I will partake, otherwise they will never understand that we’… … … Then the message of Taizé would be lost in any case… I really wouldn’t know, what I would do, you know, that’s hard, that’s hard….341 I have inserted this quote because it makes clear once again how extremely important the common life and common worship is for the Taizé community. TA’s struggle may not be representative for all brothers but his line of thought, I think, is representative for the practice of the community as a whole. It does not choose an uncomplicated path when this could imply the loss of ecumenical contact. The presupposition seems to be that, even though a particular practice lacks the fullness in meaning as understood by the community itself, this does not entirely disqualify it. TA, even when he thinks a crucial dimension is lacking, acknowledges the valuable aspects he finds in them. Thus, he tries to appreciate the common ground that he encounters. It is one way of dealing with the differences that the monastics encounter. The next section explores their strategy of coping with differences within the communities in more detail. 340 TA-1,34. 341 TA-1,38.
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