CHAPTER 4: MONASTIC VOCATION WITH ECUMENICAL IMPLICATIONS 147 This touches on an important argument for the Taizé community not to engage with (academic) theology too much. Only in 2015 did the community organize a theological colloquium commemorating Brother Roger’s death ten years earlier. Yet, there seems to be hesitance to articulate the faithful experiences. Brother TB further explains: This is the big advantage of monasteries in general, that um... in the history of monastic life um... monasteries have not been places where... um... .... ... where th... theological issues had to be decided, but it was rather... the life of prayer, of brotherhood, and... understanding and hearing all those questions, but... but... ... maybe helping people who have to reflect and who have to decide, to do that, but not... not being um... ... ... we, we are first here to welcome, no?357 This resonates with what was said in section 4.1: the most important mission of the communities is to welcome, to live together, and to pray together. In these ecumenical communities, lived ecumenism is prioritized over theoretical or theological ecumenism, not only because most members are not trained theologians but also because they are convinced that their lifestyle offers an essential environment for ecumenical exchange on an existential and spiritual level. This conviction may be underpinned by another issue TB raises. Life and theology have their proper places. Theology tries to understand and articulate faith. Yet, the intellectual interpretation of faith serves the faithful life of Christians. Concerning the sacraments, he states: The strength of the sacraments, is that... they are... it is more important to live them than to discuss them. ... I mean, that is in general, that's um... ... that's, the word, the words... we speak about it, we make bible studies or we... we share what, something. And ... and that's also something that I understood here. That, of course, you need a theology of Baptism, of Eucharist, of…maybe confession, but, but... they are sources, not because, not at measure you understand them... but they... in the measure you receive them {laughs}... And that's why, I think, there is a tradition in Taizé, not to discuss too much....358 He adds: “the reality of, of faith, God, the church, the sacraments, they, they're always beyond the formulations.”359 TB, therefore, is content with the essential 357 TB-1,16. 358 TB-1,66. 359 TB-1,4e.
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