CHAPTER 8: POSITIONING OF THE EUCHARIST 237 no?”523 The practice of Eucharistic hospitality in places like Taizé and Bose, therefore, may be contested but, at the same time, they themselves challenge any undisputed form of Eucharistic liturgy that is not explicitly directed towards (the restoration of) Christian unity. Brother TA and Brother BE both indicate that their participation in Eucharistic hospitality accompanies their growth in unity. TA reiterates the notion of the Eucharist as the source as well as the summit articulated by Vatican II when he says: The eternal debate, indeed, is the Eucharist only the conclusion, indeed, of a trajectory, or is it as well a way towards something, you know. (…) I think that our… our position has always been, indeed, both for unity, you know, but that it is also the path towards unity.524 BE makes this more personal by explaining why he chose to receive Communion during one of the European Taizé meetings well before he joined the community. When asked, he contests that his primary intention was to be recognized as an individual by the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, he wanted to materialize his desire to be part of the communion of the Roman Catholic Church. This, BE concludes, is still on the basis of his membership in the Bose community where he can practice this in a more structural way: Perhaps, uh, of course, as here, the Eucharist is only celebrated in this language, or in this tradition, of course taking part in the celebration, or receiving Communion means the way also for me to say, uh, I want to be part of this communion, um… but I think, no, pfff… yes, of course there is this same desire, being part of this communion. Perhaps here, as it is more regular… I don’t have this desire to be {laughs} exactly receiving Communion by this real, the person, the presiding person of the, of the liturgies, of course, uh, and anyway, as it is organized here, I don’t have to choose were to go, but I go where, where it’s the nearest. Um… yes, but probably, it expressed already at that time, uh… let’s say, twenty, twenty-five years ago, uh, it expressed already what I try now to live in a more… in a more regular, and… ordinary way. So, this idea of being part… of a wider community, a wider communion, uh, and uh, trying to… to make as if the limits between the churches were not existing anymore, or where it would be able to go over these, these fences… ….525 523 TC-1,28b. 524 TA-1,12a. 525 BE-2,36.
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