Pilgrimage

"Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God's holy name. Bless the Lord my soul, who leads me into life."

Imagine singing these simple words, set to a beautiful melody, over and over again...Imagine singing them in a darkened candle-lit church adorned with the bright reds and oranges of Pentecost...Imagine yourself engulfed in a sea of humanity--2,000 souls from all over the world, singing and speaking a common prayer...sitting in silence and listening to readings from Scripture...Imagine singing in English or Latin, or perhaps German or French, and in the singing...imagine losing yourself and finding God's love.

This is worship at Taize. After the long, but blessedly uneventful journey, I was grateful to arrive. Life at Taize is built around worship, 3 times a day. When the carillon of bells rang, we all converged upon the church. We stopped whatever we were doing, morning, noon, and night...to remember who we are and to see God's peace for our lives and for our world.

Taize is set in the idyllic French countryside, surrounded by rolling green hills, the songs of birds, and even the distant lowing of cattle. In this setting, a community of brothers have chosen to seek peace and reconciliation for our world through a life of simplicity, poverty, and prayer. The community they have formed also welcomes guests, a week at a time, all year long. Many of them (the majority of them) are Sr. High youth and young adults, who have made a pilgrimage to Taize from their homes and churches. German schools have been on holiday this week, so there has been a strong German presence here.

Around worship, our day includes meals, chores (I help wash the dishes after lunch) Bible Study led by one of the Taize brothers and small group discussions with other guests. There is also time for walking, reading, and resting. The rhythm of life in this place is good for the soul...in work and worship, solitude and community, song and silence, Scripture and conversation, a sense of wonder and praise is awakened, the soul is filled with gratitude and love, and the heart is opened to receive God's good gifts. It has been an amazing experience, and I was sorry to leave.

However…today was the day to travel to Paris. Lindsay and I both boarded trains this morning and made a successful rendez-vous at the train station in Paris. After a short ride on the metro, we moved into the apartment that will be home for the week. It is a charming place in a neighborhood that has a lot of historic character. Jack flies over tonight and we will retrieve him from the airport in the morning. We have already visited the local markets to fill our kitchen with fresh food and we are soon ready for bed.

My French is coming back...and I am loving the immersion in all things French!

Blessings,

Cheryl