Today’s find: Taizé

We went last night (at least in part) out of curiosity.

Taizé had come to our home parish for an “Evening of Trust.”

Gerri and I had been to a Taizé prayer service or two in other locations, but this one sounded a little different.

Nada te turbe

It was…and it wasn’t.

It was different in that it was right here, at St. Joe’s. It was different, too, in that it was somehow connected to the notorious unrest that rocked Ferguson several years ago—and to the racism that festers throughout our metropolitan area today.

It wasn’t different…in that the evening centered on communal prayer. Beautiful candlelit prayer, flowing through meditative song.

In an opening prelude, I learned that this ‘Evening of Trust’ was one of more than 30 that had been taking place at churches throughout the area over the past couple of years. An ecumenical movement, as it were, focused on reconciliation.

I was delighted to discover how the prayer worked on my own soul. I didn’t really have big issues like ‘racism’ or ‘unrest’ on my mind as I entered our transformed worship space last night. As noted above, I’d gone mostly out of curiosity. But the quiet, prayerful time proved quite fruitful—helping me to become aware of the much smaller, more intimate conflicts and troubles that had been roiling my spirit.

As I became aware, I gave them over to prayer.

Did this simple act make the troubles go away? Not really. But my attitude toward them shifted just a bit. And that shift was a gift.

A gift meant to be shared.

So in case you might benefit from an unexpected grace today, here’s a little of the Taizé joy we encountered last evening:

Nada te turbe, nada te espante, quien a dios tiene nada le falta

Nada te turbe, nada te espante, solo Dios basta

(Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are fading. God alone suffices.)

And here’s bit more about the Pilgrimage of Trust coming to St. Louis May 26-29. http://www.taize.fr/en_article21670.html

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/190095103″>Taize St Louis 2016 – 10 minute version in English</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/taize”>Taize</a&gt; on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Taize Brother Denis invites all to learn more about the Pilgrimage of Trust.

Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.

IHS