The Taizé Community - The Rule of Taizé

Frre, si tu te soumets une rgle commune, tu le peux seulement cause du Christ et de lvangile.

Ta louange et ton service sont dsormais intgrs dans une communaut fraternelle, ellemme incorpore lglise. En ta discipline intrieure, si ncessaire ta vie chrtienne, tu es stimul par lentranement commun. Tu nes dsormais plus

Brother, if you submit to a common rule, you can do so only for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.

From now on, your worship and your service will take place in a community of brothers, itself set in the body of the Church. In the inner discipline which is so necessary for your life as a Christian, you will be encouraged by the impetus of community life. You

seul. Tu dois compter en tout avec tes frres.

Aussi, loin de gmir sous le poids dune rgle, rjouis-toi; car, renonant regarder en arrire, port avec tous par une mme Parole, tu peux chaque jour tlancer nouveau vers le Christ.

La prsente rgle renferme le minimum en dehors duquel une communaut ne peut sdifier en Christ et sadonner un mme service de Dieu. Cette volont de ne fixer que lessentiel laisse un risque: que ta libert ne devienne un prtexte vivre selon tes propres impulsions.

are no longer alone. You must take your brothers into account in all things.

So, far from groaning under the burden of a rule, rejoice; for as you renounce all thought of looking back and are borne forward together with all by the same Word, each day anew you can hasten towards Christ.

This rule contains the minimum necessary for a community to grow up in Christ and devote itself to a common service of God. The resolve to set down only the essentials involves a risk: your freedom could become a pretext for living according to your own impulses.

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Assur de ton salut par lunique grce du Seigneur Jsus-Christ, tu ne timposes pas une ascse pour elle-mme. La recherche dune matrise de ta personne na dautre fin quune plus grande disponibilit. Pas dabstentions inutiles, tiens-ten aux uvres que Dieu demande. Porter les fardeaux des autres, accepter les mesquines blessures de chaque jour, pour communier concrtement aux souffrances du Christ, voil notre premire ascse.

Tu as peur quune rgle commune ntouffe ta personnalit, alors quelle doit te librer dentraves inutiles pour mieux porter les

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Assured of your salvation by the sole grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, you do not impose discipline on yourself for its own sake. Gaining mastery of yourself has no other aim than to render you more available. No pointless abstaining; keep to what God asks. Bear the burdens of others, accept the minor hurts each day brings, so as to share concretely in the sufferings of Christ: this is our first discipline.

You are afraid that a common rule may stifle your personality, whereas its purpose is to free you from useless fetters, the better to bear

responsabilits, pour mieux user de toutes les audaces du ministre. Comme tout chrtien, tu dois accepter la tension entre la libert totale donne par le Saint-Esprit et les impossibilits o te place la nature humaine, celle du prochain et la tienne.

Tu rtrcirais ta comprhension de lvangile si, par crainte de perdre ta vie, tu te rservais toimme. Si le grain ne meurt, tu ne peux esprer voir ta personne spanouir en plnitude de vie chrtienne.

Ne reste jamais sur place, marche avec tes frres, cours au but sur les traces du Christ. Et sa trace

responsibility and exercise all the boldness possible in your ministry. Like every Christian, you need to accept the tension between the total freedom given by the Holy Spirit and the impossibilities in which you are set by human nature both your neighbours and your own.

You would restrict your understanding of the gospel if, for fear of losing your life, you withheld some part of yourself. Unless the grain of wheat dies, you cannot hope to see your life develop and blossom into the fullness of Christian living.

Never stand still: advance with your brothers, race towards the goal in the steps of Christ. His

... Pour que la clart du Christ te pntre, il ne suffit pas de la contempler comme si tu ntais quun pur esprit, toi de tengager rsolument de corps et desprit dans ce chemin.

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Sois parmi les hommes un signe damour fraternel et de joie.

Ouvre-toi ce qui est humain et tu verras svanouir tout vain dsir de fuite du monde. Sois prsent ton poque, adapte-toi aux conditions du moment. Pre, je ne te prie pas de les ter du monde, mais de les prserver du mal.

In order for the light of Christ to permeate you, it is not enough to gaze on it as though you were purely spirit: you need to commit yourself resolutely, body and soul, to that path.

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Be a sign for others of brotherly love and of joy.

Open yourself to all that is human and you will see any futile desire to flee from the world disappear. Be present to your age; adapt yourself to the conditions of the time. Father, I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from evil.

Aime les dshrits, tous ceux qui, vivant dans linjustice des hommes, ont soif de justice; Jsus avait pour eux des gards particuliers; ne redoute jamais dtre gn par eux.

Apporte tes parents une affection profonde; quelle les aide reconnatre, par sa qualit mme, labsolu de ta vocation.

Aime ton prochain quel que soit son horizon religieux ou idologique.

Ne prends jamais ton parti du scandale de la sparation des chrtiens confessant tous si facilement lamour du prochain, mais demeurant diviss. Aie la passion de lunit du Corps du Christ.

Love the disadvantaged, all those who experience human injustice and are thirsting for justice. Jesus had a particular concern for them. Do not be afraid of letting them disturb you.

Show your parents deep affection and by its very quality help them to recognize the absolute nature of your vocation.

Love your neighbour, whatever his or her religious or political outlook.

Never resign yourself to the scandal of the separation of Christians who so readily profess love for their neighbour and yet remain divided. Make the unity of the body of Christ your passionate concern.

De mme que, pleins dune grande joie, les disciples se tenaient dans le temple, te louant,

La prire commune se situe dans la communion des saints. Mais pour raliser cette communion avec les croyants de tous les temps, nous

Just as the disciples, full of joy, were continually in the temple praising you,

Our common prayer is set within the communion of saints, but for this communion with the believers of

de nous livrer une intercession ardente pour les hommes et lglise.

Le Seigneur pourrait se passer de notre intercession et de notre louange. Toutefois, cest le mystre de Dieu quil rclame de nous, ses collaborateurs, de prier toujours, sans jamais nous lasser.

Soyons attentifs pntrer le sens de laction liturgique, cherchons discerner sous des signes accessibles notre tre de chair une ralit invisible de lordre du Royaume. Mais veillons aussi ne pas multiplier ces signes et leur garder la simplicit, gage de leur valeur vanglique.

every age to become a reality, we need to commit ourselves to passionate intercession for human-kind and for the Church.

The Lord does not need our intercession and our praise. Yet it is the mystery of God to require of us, his fellow-workers, to keep on praying without losing heart