256 PART THREE: CONCLUSIONS time allows the second principle, that of the Eucharist as channel of divine grace, to help this imperfect unity to mature. In this way, it breaks the vicious circle of the Fries-Rahner paradox and transforms it into a positive and constructive dynamic instead. As mentioned already in Chapter 1, Cardinal Kasper said: Brother Roger’s charism has radiated outward upon the community of Taizé brothers and, far beyond them, upon all Christendom. For this reason, it seems to me that Brother Roger’s personal journey, guided by the Holy Spirit, is a discreet indication by the Holy Spirit for the future ecumenical path.540 The cardinal did not refer explicitly to the Eucharistic hospitality that the Roman Catholic Church extended to Brother Roger. Rather, he insisted that this is not a part of Brother Roger’s way that can easily be followed. Nevertheless, Cardinal Kasper, too, contemplates the implications of Brother Roger’s example: “Such a personal journey cannot be copied. But, if I am not mistaken, a similar question arises today for many serious Christians. At this moment, the reconciliation between the Churches has reached a point where, with the grace of God, we must make a personal decision.”541 Given the above, it seems to me that Brother Roger’s community, as well as the Bose community that has been inspired and affected by him, have continued his path in a deeply meaningful way. The life stories of the monastics resemble Brother Roger’s “coup de force spirituelle,”542 who explained that he himself followed the example of his grandmother: “Impressed by the testimony of her life, when I was still very young I found my own Christian identity in her steps by reconciling within myself the faith of my origins with the mystery of the Catholic faith, without breaking fellowship with anyone.”543 It is worthwhile to appreciate the fact that the monastics of the communities of Taizé and Bose have internalized this core element of Brother Roger’s personal spirituality and ecumenical path, or have found in Taizé and Bose the time, place, and company to cultivate similar impulses of their own. The question of Eucharistic hospitality, then, is not only a matter of dogmatic and canonical interest, but one of profound pastoral, ecumenical, and spiritual significance. The theology so concisely articulated in the self-understanding of Brother Roger, and substantiated by the stories of the interviewees in this 540 Kasper, “Mercy and the Ecumenical Journey of Brother Roger,” 294. 541 Kasper, 295. 542 Fesquet, “Une Double Appartenance,” referred to by Brother TC in TC-1,8a. 543 Brother Roger, “Brother Roger’s Unfinished Letter.”
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