CHAPTER 10: IMPLICATIONS II 259 churches but not detached from them. They have the potential to provide several things given that they offer the following: 1) They are places that cultivate the unity in Baptism that has been damaged over time but cannot be lost completely and which ecumenism seeks to restore. Eucharistic sharing is possible thanks to anticipating unity in all its diachronic dimensions; the past unity at the foundation of the church by Jesus Christ that was damaged, the current real but imperfect unity in Baptism, 547 and the restored (eschatological) unity. It immerses the participant deeper into the Paschal mystery and as such deepens ecumenical relations, based on Baptismal rather than denominational identity. Eucharistic sharing, as such, is practiced with ecumenical and mystagogic intent. 2) They are places of comfort and well-springs along the path towards unity as summarized in the famous phrase of Pope John Paul II about Taizé: “one passes through Taizé as one passes close to a spring of water.”548 It needs to be stressed that these communities do not regard their own position as canonical precedents, entitling others to engage in the same exceptional liturgical practice (in fact, in the interviews they hardly use any canonical language to describe their situation. They note that their situation differs from the general situation within the church and that their practice is in a sense exceptional, even though unofficial practices of Eucharistic hospitality are a widespread phenomenon). Nor are these places free of struggle: the monastics clearly articulate the difficulties that they encounter and the doubts that they have about their own practice. Still, they can be places where people can dwell in that unity for a moment in order to face the struggles of ecumenism in their daily lives and jobs. 3) Finally, they are places that ‘blur’ the lines between denominations as they belong in canonical and especially sacramental sense to different denominations. It seems vital to me, however, that the faithfulness towards one’s tradition is lived out very concretely and explicitly. In Taizé and Bose, such a connection is cherished as one remains a member of his or her church of origin. However, the monastics have also indicated that they struggle to materialize this connection. I would encourage Taizé and Bose to invest in these relationships and to find ways for the monastics to intensify their belonging to a certain 547 Cf. UR, sec. 3. 548 John Paul II, “One Passes through Taizé.”
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