PARIS - France is today commemorating one of the most painful anniversaries in recent history - the terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis on 13 November 2015, which killed 132 people and injured hundreds more. An all-night „Night of Hope“ is being held today in the Paris parish of Saint-Ambroise, located just a few dozen metres from the Bataclan music club where 90 people were murdered by terrorists at the time. The Prior of the Taizé Community, Brother Matthew Prieur, reflects on evil, pain and the power of good.
Not to forget, not to succumb to darkness and to respond with hope
The parish of Saint-Ambroise is still deeply scarred by the 2015 attacks. In its church, we find a chapel with the names of all the victims. It is the most visited place in the church. Parish priest P. Pascal Nègre says that the idea to hold today's vigil comes from a simple human experience. Recently I saw a mother hugging her crying child - and I understood then that such pain can only be answered with tenderness. Not with many words, but with open arms.„
The program will begin with Mass at 7 pm and will last until the early morning hours. During the evening there will be alternating spiritual texts, chants and moments of silence. The church will be lit softly - „like a mother embracing her crying child“. The climax of the evening will be the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which will last until 2am. Fr Nègre stresses that the doors of the parish will be open to all: „In the face of such pain, we want to be with those who are experiencing it. And to give space to the hope that encourages.“
Brother Matthew of Taizé: „Good is deeper than evil“
Ten years after the attacks, Brother Matthew Prieur, Prior of the Taizé Community, has published a spiritual reflection that touches on the pain of the bereaved, on human responsibility and on the hope that can arise from the darkness. His reflection is based on two strong convictions - the inalienable dignity of every victim and that good is always deeper than evil. Losing a loved one suddenly and violently is, according to Brother Matthew, an experience that remains with a person forever. „There are questions that come back,“ he writes. „Could I have prevented it? What all did I fail to say? And why her or him?“ These internal struggles - the anger, the silence, the helplessness - are natural.
And one often wonders if anyone can understand their pain. The Prior follows up on this personal level by reminding us that victims are not numbers in any statistics. „These were people who wanted to enjoy an ordinary Friday night and didn't want to hurt anyone.“ Each of them had a story, a face, a relationship. Brother Matthew therefore also recalls the meaning of the word „witness“ - martyr, from which the word „martyr“ is derived. Precisely by having their lives unjustly taken from them, the victims become witnesses to a life that cannot be destroyed because it is a gift.
The good is the answer to the absurdity that obscures the dignity of man
This perspective leads him to another key idea: that goodness is deeper than evil. Brother Matthew quotes the philosopher Paul Ricœur: „However radical evil is, it is not as deep as goodness.“ The horror of the attacks at the time also sparked the opposite movement: the heroism of the rescuers, the spontaneous solidarity of people all over France, small gestures of tenderness and humanity. These lights in the midst of darkness show that goodness has stronger roots than the violence that struck them. At the same time, Ricœur reminded us that today's world easily falls into a sense of absurdity and meaninglessness. But it is there that protest is born-the refusal to accept nothingness.
„And out of protest grows witness,“ emphasizes Brother Matthew. „The good is not only a response to evil, but also to the absurdity that wants to obscure human dignity.“ Brother Matthew concludes, „Let us notice the goodness within us and around us. Let us not be drawn into the absurdity of meaninglessness in the face of evil.“ According to the Prior of Taizé, the victims of the attacks become witnesses who, even after ten years, can lead us to desire to build bridges between people and nations - bridges on which peace and justice can meet.
Kamila Skalinová - Vatican News
Famille Chretienne.fr, La Croix.fr/gnews.cz-jav
English 
Czech 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
Russian 
Chinese 
German