The center of meditation is named in regards to Mary. When one chooses his center, it's one of the topics which is very relevant there, you know, community is a new skill, namely community. I think Mary may also have something to teach us about that. She was part of the first Christian community. He was born. Well, community life is very rich, but delicate. Reality, as you know, full of challenges, possibilities of challenges, but also possibilities of conflicts. And conflicts are not at all an obstacle to charity. Conflicts have become occasions of charity. So, before celebrating the mystery of reconciliation, of communion, in other words, yes, ask ourselves whether we never sinned by lack of charity, lack of understanding, lack of willingness to overcome the normal and conflicts which probably can ruin the life we are living.

[01:31]

Almighty God, forgive us our sins. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, when you started the first Christian community after Easter, when the Spirit was given. Mary was part of it. Because she had in the first received the Spirit, who creates the community. She has been referred to carry her soul and then to live with it. Jesus, who is the center of every Christian community. Somehow, she's also the model of the life we should have, and we really do have, and remain for always, in our communities, unity in the spirit, unity in center,

[03:05]

On your son, Jesus Christ, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen. The reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. On a later occasion, Paul said to Barnabas, let us go back and visit all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord, so that we can see how the brothers are doing. Barnabas suggested taking John Mark, but Paul was not in favor of taking along the very man who had deserted him in Penfilia and had refused to share in their work. After a violent quarrel, they parted community, company, and Barabbas sailed off with Mark's disciples.

[04:10]

Before Paul left, he chose Silas to accompany him and was commended by the brothers for the grace of God. And this is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has worked what His right hand and His holy love have brought salvation. For the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

[05:20]

The Lord has given holy salvation, has shown His justice to the nations. because we can earn his truth and love. For the hearts of Israel. O the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God. O the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy. All the angels of the earth, let us sing the saving power of God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

[06:31]

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. If you stay in my word, you will indeed be my disciples. When you will know the truth, says the Lord. Alleluia. [...] The Lord be with you. And also with you. A reading from the Holy Gospel of St. Mark. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus now went up into the hill, and summoned those he wanted.

[07:38]

So they came to him. They were to be his companions, to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out So he appointed them all, Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of James, to whom he gave the name poor Aaron to his poor sons of Clemency. Then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alphonse, Matthias, Simon, Bartholomew, and Judas Iscariot, the man who was betrayed, We have chosen two texts, among many others, which reveal something of what is

[08:53]

a Christian community, what may happen in a Christian community. Because before there was a community, there was a group. You know the difference between a group and a community? A group has a bunch of people, they all have more or less to do the same thing, you know, maybe a tip, maybe a gift. be an organization, they are there because there have been circumstances, or people choose them to be there together. And progressively, they become, they may become a community. They may also become the opposite. They become an enemy. Enemies to one another. But normally, they should become a community. And in fact, that's what they became. But it's interesting to meditate on the first central group of the first Christian community.

[10:00]

The first Christian community around Jesus was a pretty large community. Not many, but there were the twelve, who were the core group. It's the same committee. Then there were the disciples. Then there were the ladies, about the same number I guess. But the example, the typical group, in the group, were the twelve. And it's obvious that Jesus first... Jesus chose the people who were the most conflict-strong possible. He didn't choose all who agree, who have the same tendency in politics, in religion, in mentality, in social level, or cultural preparation, not at all. And that was not by chance, because the first, just the day before, he went on the mountaintop to pray, prepared, carefully. Then he chose, apparently it was by chance, he was walking on the shore, and he said to Andrew, he called them, and he said to other, James and Charles, he chose them, follow him, suppose, and then, so he gathered 200 people.

[11:14]

Those he wanted. And the word to be is companion. And another, I think it's Luke said, to be with him. Companion means to be the same. Companion implies the word... to be the same. To be, to be with him. It means to live with him. Because it's Jesus who makes the community. Community is not what we do. The things we do, that may be an organization, but the community is Jesus. And he makes a community out of a group. So he first starts a group. First to be with him. That's a part of contemplation. To live with him, to share what he has to share with them. And then, only secondarily,

[12:18]

to be sent out to preach. There is no preaching, there is no proclamation. The Council was extremely clear on that, on the divine divination. There is no proclamation if there is no first contemplation, study, and spiritual experience of being with Jesus, being in his company. And so he appointed the Twelve. And then the very list, the simple list shows how many different people there were in the group there. And I think it's good for us to meditate on, because I have the impression there are no great conflicts in your communities, but there may be. It's normal. It's on the program. It happens. Don't be afraid, you know. And it already happened before, in the first community. And there may be conflicts, if not in one community, such as today, in a time of what they call in your country, polarization.

[13:24]

There may be tendencies, conflictful tendencies, or conflict between different communities in the same institute, in the same organization, or contemporary. So let's not be afraid. That's normal. That's good. And if we read just the list of the twelve, we can see how Jesus on purpose wanted to have different people. A community is that. It's like a box of candy. All sweet. It was different. Different colors, different tastes, you know. And that was a group. Of course, they were vigorous men, and so the problems, the conflicts were stronger. Not so sweet, but all different, and very different. Simon, to whom he gave the name Pete.

[14:29]

So Simon is always the first. He has a certain premise, not necessarily a great power, jurisdiction and so forth, but he was there. We need the... I was going to say chairman, but you know nowadays they avoid this formula, because it seems to be to an idiot woman, so they say chairperson. But really, they said Sherman, you know, and that's where we had Simon. Dewey, again, the name Peter. It was a nickname. And that's also just an example among many, because if you would read them with a smile, not the same. An example of the humor of Jesus. Peter was a weak character. Impulsive. But at the time of doing, he gave it. And everybody knew it. He was a sort of a very weak person.

[15:33]

And the group knew that. And when Jesus, one day, after giving him the revelation, power to proclaim that he was the Son of God, told me, you will not be anymore Simon, you will be called The Rock. That means like a different thing. The Rock. And you may imagine, oh, he's an apostate. It's hard to know. This poor Simon, we know him, how weak he is. And now he's up between solidity, you know, firmness. So, that was the Jews of Jerusalem, the weakest of them, and He joked with him, and another day he gave him an orchid, and it was a strong wine, he called himself an animal. A strong being. Ironical, but he did that, probably with such charity and smile. I know another example. A man, I studied in the middle ages, Peter Darien, very strict. And when he was appointed cardinal, he never forget, he fought to get him to have made him a cardinal.

[16:40]

As soon as he could, he gave up his hat. went to his army camp, but one day he wrote a little epigram, and he called the fox and the devil and the seven, my holy satan. So Jesus, this time, he called Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, the brother of them, James. That's a strange way to put it, you know? This couple of brothers. Because the sons of Zebedee, In fact, Zebedee never appeared in the gospel. But somebody chose her, who is the mother of the sons of Zebedee, Mrs. Zebedee. And here is the first example that we have of a group in the group, two brothers, you know. And of course there is always a solidarity, yeah? You want to be together, right? But by the rule of St.

[17:41]

Beric, those who follow it, says that, be careful that never a brother defends a brother. It's always a tendency with the bonds of family in the primitive society to be, to be, to clear the group in the group. So, and when we read Mark at the beginning, the first vocation of the, the vocation of the first group, Jesus first chose, as he was walking along by the sea of Galilee, Simon and his brother Andrew, casting that another group in the group, brother and Andrew, and we shall find them, you know. Casting a net in the lake for they were fishing. And Jesus said to them, follow me, and I will make you into fishers of men. Here again, this is the humor of it. You are accustomed to be with that sense, without a smile. But you may imagine the surprise for this half-fisherman, accustomed to fish fish.

[18:44]

And suddenly he said, you are a fish man. What a wonderful finding. Just what a tremendous poet, you know. Full of imagination, creativity, and humor. And at once, they left their nets and followed him. So they were working both in the in their boat. Going on a little further, he saw James, Southern CBD, and his brother John. They too were in their boat, mending sandals. He called them twins. And leaving their father CBD in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him. So here we see that Mr. CBD had employees. So it was a fishing organization, corporation, more important. Peter and Andrew were just fishing on their account on a small boat, small fishing. Mr. Semele had employees, so they were of a higher socio-economical standing, you know, and that makes always a difference, you know.

[19:47]

Rich people and poor people, the same group, you know. And the rich people, as we said, they tend to think that they have a right to more influence, more power, more everything. And in fact, we see that's what happened, you know. And three times in the Gospel, you know, it said that this group has to be the two first ones, the king and the prime minister and the vice president, you know. One day, even at the most tragic moment, after the Last Supper, going between Seneca and Gethsemane, still they asked, Lord, who will be the first? And one day, you remember, when Jesus was walking, with his wandering novitiate there, he was alone, praying, alone, and they were following and chatting, and at the moment he asked, why are you discussing behind me? Oh, we're asking, who will be the first and the second? And there was this group, you know. And one day, two men, to get it, you know, you know, to get it, they asked the mother to intervene, the mother of the sons of Zippy.

[20:55]

So it's very well, very beautifully described. I think it's a lot, very silly. It's a nice woman's story. So the mother of the sons, Mrs. Zebedee, came and said, Rabbi, I have something to ask you. What's the matter? That is always just extremely polite. For a woman. Sometimes he handles men with more, more ruffling. But always, for a woman, there is another example in which he is not polite. And so she said, well, Rabbi, look these two boys of mine, eh? Could they not become the first in your kingdom? And was she an ambitious mother? I don't think so. She was just a normal mummy. She was concerned with the future of the world. So Jesus always polite. He said, don't depend upon me, my father, me, and so forth. So you see, difference of perhaps troops in the group, family power.

[21:57]

Difference of economical, financial standard. And then, there must have been sons of characters, because this is called the sons of thunder, you know. In French, when we want to say somebody is really okay, we say, il est du tonnerre, you thunder person, you know. So they were, the group, they must have been known for their strong energy and character and perhaps ambition, surely ambition, three times they were ambitious. Then Andrew, son of Simon, Philip, Andrew, even Matthew. Matthew was, you see, I get another picture. He was a custom officer. He knew how to count. So he was more learned, perhaps a little more. He had more instruction, more preparation.

[22:58]

He had been to school. The other had not been, you know. And you know, this structural difference, when you know you are more intelligent, you are more learned, it's always so a sort of influence. Don't forget to say, I should have more influence. I don't know. Thomas, Thomas must have been also a sort of character. We shall see that. James, the son of Alpheus, Tentheus, Simon, and Siloam. And here we see again another different political involvement, you know? Most of them were... some of them were indifferent politically. They didn't care. They were busy enough with their boats and fishing. But, uh, Matthew was really working for the Romans, you know? He was a sort of collaborator of the Holhems. Whereas, there was a Simon who got the stick name of Zillert.

[24:00]

I mean, Zillert were the activists of the Holhems. So a sort of revolutionary report to the Holhems. And it was so clearly so that he got this name. as today, if we would concentrate and talk to the Maoists, you know. He had political commitment, and totally different from Matthew and totally from the other group. And Jesus, on purpose, chose the most possible different people. And Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him. That's another problem, and a myth, what we have after the mind problems. But anyway, you see, I just want to point out that that's the stuff, the human material, with which Jesus created the first group, which was to become the first community. And it was not easy for this novice master called Jesus to reconcile these different people, always discussing for politics.

[25:06]

They were speaking of politics, and they seemed to both follow them. You see, I think it's good sometimes to remember that a community must not be just uniform, everybody agrees, I agree, I agree, I agree, it's just only those people who think like me, you know, it should be easy. No, it's exactly the opposite. But then, with this conflict, he made a community. A community, but only after his death. At the moment of the passion, the group destroyed. They all fled, fled. They had lost their hope. Ben said, we were hoping that, but nothing was restored. Of course, there have been a few ladies who went to the town, but it was already so empty, even the herding was alive, but you know, they're just women.

[26:14]

Starlets, you know, they lived. And so, it took quite a time after Easter to remake the community, to make a community with this book. And when we read all these Post-pastoral stories, you know, narratives, what strikes me are two things. First, the only ones to believe in the beginning were women. Men were strong, they were active, they were intelligent, they knew about, they didn't. But women were in touch, and they went through, and they discovered. He was there. They believed. He was alive. He appeared to one of them. And they wanted to say to the Apostles how it happened to be the Apostles. And the Apostles, first, didn't believe. They were surprised.

[27:17]

So they wanted to check, and again, Paul and Peter and John came. That's another difference. I forgot to mention the difference of her, you know. Peter was married since Jesus killed his Muslim in-law. So, it's very interesting to see the interest of Jesus in the Muslim in-law of the Popes. So he was probably already an agent, whereas John seems to have been a teenager, you know, and I reflect that he was the last one to arrive at Charleston, and was definitely many, many years. Again, a difference, so they come back to him. Only when the senior and the junior of the group came, and they didn't see anything, didn't understand, and then Jesus appears in the evening on the SFA, and The impression they have is not, I'm too enthusiastic.

[28:17]

They are not singing Hallelujah. It's too thick. It's first fear, then stronger, then some pride. And in fact, what first made the community? Who is this group? What made of this group a community? That's the second element which I find. First, the importance of singing. Secondly, the importance of chanting. There's a lot of chanting in this this post-pastoral experience of Jesus, experiences of Jesus. The discovery of Jesus progressed, rightly, by being both speaking about him, speaking of him, before speaking to him, and with him. Exchanging their ideas, their memories, their impressions about what the woman said. And there were, then together, eleven of them, in the same place, and it was not a very honorable motive, you know.

[29:27]

They were out of fear of the Jews, so nothing to be proud about, fear. But I'm old enough to have been doing two wars in Europe, and I don't want to be feared. we share our concept. Fear is a very good opportunity to be united, you know. So they were in this fear, they were speaking about Jesus and progressively rediscovering that he had said that, and after all it would be impossible. And then when he appeared, they were prepared, no? And if you look on this last part of the forecast, you see how much they spoke about it, they changed. What makes a communion is communication. It's not just the fact of being there. [...]

[30:27]

It's not just the fact of being there. [...] It's not just the fact of In the group, there was a ripper. One would enjoy to even have to stand up on the floor, so as to discourage people from standing up on the floor. So, he stood up on the floor. It was a very interesting story. Even if there was always a very inferior group. It took a long week to recover, this trouble, this difficult time. Prince was very patient. He didn't go to a period where he was. He expected an opportunity, a long week, until he gave him the opportunity to check that he was really himself, he was really alive.

[31:29]

So this is the patience of Jesus when there is some apolitical politics. Now, and this is the first thing in the Gospel, when he made the first post-pastoral chapter of the fold, he had some pre-pastoral, in the groups of many in the Gospel, all along, I think it was, you don't think, in the start, oh, and then after that he says, oh, how slow you are in understanding. And the great one is still strong, how silly. But this is not of nowadays. And Thomas, you know, then and there, he admitted, he accepted. And that was the code, the community. This conflictful code became a code. In charge. The Spirit warned people. First give the inheritance of people. Receive the Spirit. First power of Jesus. Receive when he sits. In the right hand of the father, the very moment he dies, which is his resurrection, he sends the Spirit. And so the Spirit made the community. But that does not mean that this community, again, was without conflict.

[32:34]

One could be tempted to say, yes, all this conflict that was before Pentecost, before the Spirit was given to them, after that there was no conflict. It's an easy charity, not at all. And that's why I've chosen the second passage of the Acts, where it's spoken between St. Paul and St. Barnabas and St. Author that they disagreed. Barnabas suggested taking John back, but Paul was not in favor of taking him. I know. But if he had deserted, Paul would have been driving, and Paul would have been driving in Stuttgart, and Paul probably, he had forgiven, but not forgotten. So he didn't want to take him. He had refused to share in that war. You know, that's it which happened in our church. In the great church.

[33:41]

We had that. ago when the most important prominent cardinal of the Roman Empire, Trulia, accused the Pope and all the theologians of being heretics. It still happens. But then the Pope maintained its viewpoint and the world cardinal apologized, but after a certain crisis. So everything may happen. It doesn't happen. Actually, it happens. After a violent war, Departed company. That's a strong phrase. You know, it may have taken time. A violent quarrel. In our communities, usually, we are not violent. It used to be. When everybody was violent, they were. Now we are more, there is more sweetness than violence. But 69% of the people are now violent. And there was a violent quarrel between two Saint Apostles. They went, oh, that's the Church. Paul was being confronted with this tremendous grave.

[34:47]

And Barnabas sent Barnabas. And Barnabas sent off his back to Silas. Before Paul left, he chose Silas to accompany him, and he was commanded by the philosophers to the grave of Paul. And you see, in spite of this quarrel, which then settled, finally sort of compromised, but often people were determined, then they both went with the present Paul. So there was no sort of cynicism. There was no cynicism. Well, we are the poor and we don't agree. And they agreed on the message. They agreed on Jesus. They agreed on the essential. But they didn't agree on the bitter, you know. And that was the point of apostolic mission. I need to take this one hand to that way, or take that one hand to another way. And there, we may disagree, in the context of life or so on, various ways of doing. But the essential is that we agree on Him. It's Jesus who really makes the community. You see, that's very comforting and encouraging.

[35:52]

Pleasant. And humiliating. It's gone. Better than that. So we will have, sometime we have, a lot of bloodbaths, wars, violence, violent wars. And that's not an obstacle to China, provided we all agree on the essentials. And the Jews who are going to make a precedent to celebrate and to receive the Eucharist is the only one who can make a community of all of us and each of us. So we are always to be centered. That's why in the next talk I want to concentrate to be meditating, Jesus and monastics. I think it was going to get very well. There's very practical examples of politics and charity in our society.

[36:57]

So, Father Leonid Fong, Father Rostislav, a friendly Englishman, born in Iberia. He was born in Iberia. He was born in Iberia. There are conflicts in the world. Lord, hear our prayer.

[39:07]

Lord, hear our prayer. [...] I'm Lord, hear our prayer.

[40:34]

Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. One of the major problems is to find, find, find the answers. I know that some people forget these things. So don't let it take your breath away. So don't let it take your breath away.

[41:43]

Lord, hear our prayer. [...] Thank you, Mother.

[43:05]

It's sitting right there. Success in your life. Right. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

[45:32]

Father, we want to take two minutes to communicate with you. And also, Q. May I turn now to the Lord? He is trying to give me thanks and praise. K. What Lord? Powerful Lord. Well, you started to make a commitment of making self-improvement.

[46:49]

But the perfect community, I think, is one in which every young child Yeah. Yeah. O son of man, if thou cry not on me, O God, O God, if thou cry not on me, Sarana [...]

[48:16]

All I know, all I know is that I am Thank you. What was the order of the day?

[49:34]

Day? Day. [...] It's probably 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20. Let us pray.

[50:35]

Let us pray. [...] We ought not most to care what it is like or what it will be like. All glory and honor to our Almighty Father forever and ever.

[52:05]

Alleluia, alleluia. O Lord, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, As we might be close to trespass against us, And impede us not into temptation, But fear we will carry us from evil. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

[53:38]

Amen. and good fortune, but mercy on us. Love of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. Love of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. I am not worthy to receive him, but only say the word, and that shall be done. We love to sing, we love, we love it

[55:18]

With a single drum we give faith, and we sing, glory, [...] ♪ You'll wave to the wind in my heart ♪ ♪ Make us see clearly near and far ♪ ♪ Lift your head for the home of the brave ♪ ♪ Oh, let it roll along ♪ ♪ Let the revolution be called on ♪ You are more than a word to us, love we share in our lives.

[56:26]

We love seeing you, we love you. We love seeing you, we believe. And we sing a hymn to your throne. O God, our Saviour, we thank Thee. Thank you, God.

[58:52]

Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Shree Mataji, We thank you, Lord. [...]

[59:56]

We thank you, Lord. What the? What the? What the heck? What the heck? It's... What the heck? With me. With me. With me.

[61:07]

Deep breath in. Okay.

[61:45]

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