Johannine Hours                  Luke 24:52                 July 1996
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[The "Johannine hours" are meant as a way of seeking God in silence
and prayer in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a
day, take a moment to read the Bible passage with the short
commentary and to reflect on the questions which follow.
Afterwards, a small group people can meet to share what they have
discovered and perhaps for a time of prayer.] 

It is long before entering on the way of the cross that Jesus
begins preparing his companions for his coming death. After his
resurrection, Christ takes up, as it were, from where he had left
off: he "opens their minds to understand the scriptures," sends
them out, and urges them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The departure at his ascension is thus emptied of sadness and
passive resignation. 

In our own lives, the departure of a loved one can become an
occasion for meeting the risen Lord and for opening ourselves to
our own resurrection. However, at the moment of departure itself,
suffering exposes us to the risk of despair. Despair sows confusion
and would have us believe that nothing remains outside of pain,
absurdity and misforture. Such suffering is part of that passage
which is Easter, the birth into a new life. 

Truth is not to be found in the emptiness we may wish to scrutinize
nor in explanations which would only serve to justify separation.
The truth indeed is that there is no separation. And yet, it is the
heart alone which can say it, and we must listen to its voice in
silence. "Even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, we do
not know him in that way any longer" (2 Co 5:16). 

When Christ leaves, his place remains empty. And we must leave it
free, without giving way to worry or impatience. Knowing that this
same place is filled by his presence is the most precious of
treasures one can "possess". It is there that the Spirit of the
risen Christ awaits us. Neither separations, nor time, nor even
forgetfulness can still the heart which has chosen to love. 

      In what ways can I prepare myself and the others who are
      entrusted to me, for living out the separations which are
      part of life, and to do so in the light of Christ? 
      What helps sustain us as we wait on the presence of the
      consoling Spirit, the one who comes to inhabit every human
      separation? 

"Johannine Hours" - 07/96 - ©71250 Taizé-Community, France.
taize@cpe.ipl.fr 


Luke 24:52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with
great joy. 



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