This week, the service was prepared by the brothers and sisters of the Community in Bonn in Germany.
Reflection text
Let your lion rest with your lamb
Excerpt from *The Inner Voice of Love* by Henri J.M. Nouwen
free translation from members of the Community.
There is a lamb and a lion within you. Spiritual maturity enables you to let the lamb and the lion coexist. Your lion is your adult self: independent and combative. It is the part of you that takes the initiative and makes decisions. But there is also a shy and vulnerable lamb – the part of you that needs affection, support, recognition, attention and nourishment.
If you focus solely on your lion, you will overwork yourself and soon become exhausted. And if you focus solely on your lamb, you will soon fall prey to your need to please and impress others. The art of the spiritual life lies in giving full consideration to both: your lion and your lamb. In this way, you can act with confidence and determination without neglecting your own needs. And in this way, you can ask for affection and attention without sacrificing your leadership skills. Developing your identity as a child of God does not in any way mean giving up your responsibilities. Similarly, embracing your adult, independent self does not mean that you cannot become ever more deeply a child of God. The more secure and at peace you feel as a child of God, the freer you will be to fulfil your mission in this world as a responsible human being. And the more you affirm that God has entrusted you with a mission that is yours alone and that you must fulfil, the more open and free you will be to realise that deep-seated desire. The kingdom of God and of peace that Jesus came to establish begins when your lion and your lamb lie down together, without fear and in complete freedom.
Intercessions
To be adapted or modified according to the place and the circumstances
For many years, the festival of Easter – which brings together more than 80 young people from all over Germany at the University Parish in Bonn – has been a place of fellowship and brotherhood. It strengthens the faith of Generation Z, a generation unsettled by global crises, and encourages them to take concrete steps to follow Christ.
Lord, we give you thanks for the many baptisms and confirmations which, here and throughout the world, bear witness on this Easter feast to the desire you inspire in both young and old. We pray that you will continue to accompany each and every one of them through your Church and show them a place within it where they may grow and bear witness to your loving mercy.
On 5 and 6 June 2026, the Diocese of Cologne will once again be hosting a major faith conference entitled ‘Kommt und seht’ (‘Come and See’). The conference will begin with the Corpus Christi procession to Cologne Cathedral.
We ask you to open hearts and ears to dialogue, both amongst the helpers and amongst those attending the conference at our Community’s stand, so as to offer a visible sign of your prayer: ‘May they all be one, so that the world may believe that you have sent me’ (Jn 17:21).
Wars and crises around the world have forced many people from other cultures, languages and religions to flee to Germany. They often live in very precarious conditions, right in the heart of this wealthy country.
We pray for all governments, that they may have the will to integrate those seeking asylum and the courage to explore new ways of living together. Grant that all may contribute to building a future in which the rich diversity of peoples brings glory to you, the Creator.
Prayer for Christian unity
Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one,
we pray to you for the unity of Christians,
according to your will,
according to your means.
May your Spirit enable us
to experience the suffering caused by division,
to see our sin
and to hope beyond all hope.
Amen!
(Prayer written by members of the Chemin Neuf Community
inspired by a prayer of Father Paul Couturier)