Taizé
Every year on Good Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas, parishioners mark the day by participating in the Seven Last Words of Christ, prayed in the style of Taizé. If you have not participated in this prayer, you may be familiar with songs like, “Jesus, Remember Me,” “Eat this Bread,” or “Ubi Caritas,” all of which were composed at Taizé.
Every year on Good Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas, parishioners mark the day by participating in the Seven Last Words of Christ, prayed in the style of Taizé. If you have not participated in this prayer, you may be familiar with songs like, “Jesus, Remember Me,” “Eat this Bread,” or “Ubi Caritas,” all of which were composed at Taizé.
Taizé is an ecumenical community that takes its name from the small village where it is based in Taizé, France, in the country’s Burgundy region, minutes from Cluny, the site of Europe’s largest and most famous monastic abbey before its destruction during the French Revolution. The Taizé Community was founded by Roger Schüz, later known as Brother Roger, at the beginning of the Second World War. Brother Roger, the son of a Reformed Protestant Pastor, was studying theology at a college in Switzerland when he felt called to help war refugees as his grandmother had done during the First World War. In 1940, he bought a small house in central France that sheltered refugees, primarily Jews, which would later become the home of the Taizé Community. After the war, Brother Roger, who had long been drawn to a monastic way of life, founded a community of brothers which was open to men of all Christian faiths. Men from his own Reformed tradition began to join him followed by men from the Anglican and Catholic traditions. Brother Roger was passionate about the unity of Christians and had a deep desire as Jesus did, that all would be one. He often said, “Christ did not come to earth to create a new religion, but to offer to every human being a communion in God.” As an observer at the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, with its concern for the restoration of Christian unity, he had hoped he would see the unity of Christians in his lifetime. He believed that life lived out in community could be a symbol of that reconciliation and unity called for by Christ and he never tired of working toward that goal. Today, the Taizé Community includes nearly 100 men of both Catholic and Protestant traditions who come from nearly 30 countries. Most of the brothers live at Taizé, but some live among disadvantaged communities around the world. The community at Taizé lives together, works together and prays together in simplicity, in peace and in poverty. They do not accept donations or gifts of any kind, but rather make their living solely from the work they do: Making pottery, writing books and welcoming tens of thousands of pilgrims to Taizé every year.
Young People at Taizé
Young people in particular are attracted to Taizé and tens of thousands come from all parts of the world each year to spend a week living, working, and praying alongside the brothers in the community. On a visit to Taizé over Palm Sunday, I was able to speak to several of them.
For 22-year-old Milena Vontottleben from Freiburg, Germany, Taizé is a familiar place. She has been here nine times and this time, she brought a large group of friends. Milena is a Christian who grew up in the German Baptist Tradition and she said she wanted to share what she calls “An environment that is as welcoming as she has ever experienced.” She said, “Being at Taizé inspires me to make a difference in the small things, to try to find unity in diversity even in my small group of friends.”
A change in plans due to the pandemic sent 20-year-old Carl Voigt from Germany to Taizé to volunteer for a period of seven months before entering college. He says the trip not only
changed his life, it changed his vocation, “I actually found the faith which was always there since my childhood but I didn’t open up for it. I didn’t want to have anything to do with Christianity to be honest and here I learned that I can have a place and that I can call myself a Christian and this changed my life forever.”
Fernanda Ortiz is a 23-year-old Catholic from Mexico who just graduated from college, packed up her life and came to Taizé to help the community welcome refugees from Ukraine. She said she has found unity in diversity here, “I love that we can pray together, even though we are from different denominations.”
Taizé Prayer
Morning, noon, and evening, the bells on the hill of Taizé ring out, calling everyone to communal prayer, which includes Scripture that is proclaimed in many languages, silence and simple short chants sung over and over again. The songs are not sung in the style with which today’s youth would be familiar meaning you won’t find any Christian Contemporary music at Taizé. The music, simple, meditative and repetitive, is meant to help everyone easily participate, to avoid distraction and to draw one inward. Brother Roger believed that the more accessible the prayer, the closer the encounter with God.
It was during an evening prayer on August 16, 2005, when Brother Roger, at the age of 90, was mortally stabbed by a woman later deemed mentally ill. Despite the grave loss, the community embraced the woman’s family with a spirit of forgiveness and mercy. Before he died, Brother Roger appointed his successor, Brother Alois Löser, a Roman Catholic from Germany, who remains the Prior of Taizé.
Liturgical Music
Walk or jog any track and you are likely to see people with earbuds or In-ear headphones. While some may be catching up on the latest podcast, the majority are listening to music.
Walk or jog any track and you are likely to see people with earbuds or In-ear headphones. While some may be catching up on the latest podcast, the majority are listening to music.
Music motivates people to move and helps to focus attention. The rhythms and the pulse of the beats helps people to keep a certain pace which is vital to effective exercise. Music and action have long been partners in exercise, dance, and liturgy.
In the liturgy, hymns and songs may highlight the Scripture readings, add to the solemnity of the liturgy, and foster a unity among the assembly. The Second Vatican Council document the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy calls the musical tradition of the universal Church a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art” (112). Noting the “preeminence” of music, the document goes on to say that “as sacred song closely bound to the text, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.” Music, then, isn’t merely a nice extra in the liturgy; it is intrinsic to the liturgy.
Music is wedded to the action of the liturgy. The Entrance Song, for example, is meant “to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical time or festivity, and accompany the procession of the Priest and ministers.” General Instruction of the Roman Missal. 47
The purpose of the song during the procession to the Eucharistic table is “to express the spiritual union of the communicants by means of the unity of their voices, to show gladness of heart, and to bring out more clearly the ‘communitarian’ character of the procession to receive the Eucharist.” General Instruction of the Roman Missal. 86
These processional songs remind us that we are pilgrims who journey from God, with God and toward God. As we journey, our common song unites our hearts and our voices in love. St. Augustine explained that singing is for lovers. It’s what people in love do! Who among us in the throes of falling in love hasn’t wandered about singing or whistling a tune? God is in love with us! We are in love with God! Words are not enough to express our feelings! We must sing!
But singing takes courage—ask any cantor! Singing involves risk and vulnerability. Yet this is exactly what is asked of each of us when we celebrate liturgy—to be open, vulnerable and willing to go beyond our comfort zones.
When I ask people to join the choir, I usually get the same stock answer, “I can’t sing.” Everyone can sing, at different levels perhaps, but EVERYONE CAN SING! The liturgy gives people a chance to return to God the voice they have been given. As you sing at the next liturgy, allow the music to move your heart in love and in song, returning your gift to God.
One Mass, So Many Opinions
As we were preparing for the liturgies of Holy Week, a colleague came up to me and said, “I think the Good Friday liturgy is so boring, I mean how many times can we sing Jesus, Remember Me?” That same week, a parishioner came up to me and said, “I can’t wait until Good Friday. That’s my favorite liturgy! I could sing Jesus Remember Me all night!”
As we were preparing for the liturgies of Holy Week, a colleague came up to me and said, “I think the Good Friday liturgy is so boring, I mean how many times can we sing Jesus, Remember Me?” That same week, a parishioner came up to me and said, “I can’t wait until Good Friday. That’s my favorite liturgy! I could sing Jesus Remember Me all night!” I myself have come out of Mass less than satisfied with the particular preaching that day only to hear someone exclaim to the priest or deacon, “Thank you, the words in your homily were exactly what I needed to hear today.”
As this example illustrates, we all perceive sights, sounds, and the very world around us very differently. With this in mind, we often plan liturgies wondering, what moves people? What engages people? How in the world can we become one body when we are so different?
Then I remind myself of the answers. What moves people? The Holy Spirit moves people. What engages people? The Holy Spirit engages people. How can we become one body? The Holy Spirit unites us. This is why we pray to the Spirit during Mass:
Grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son
and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
Eucharistic Prayer III
Only the Spirit of God can unite us. The Spirit moves as it wills, mysteriously over and above the grasp of our intellect or imagination. If we are open to it, this kind of unity moves us beyond our own needs to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. So the next time you sing your least favorite song at Mass or think that some element of the liturgy was too dry, too long, too boring, too repetitive, too (fill in the blank). Rejoice and trust that the Spirit is at work.
Alleluia!
The Hallelujah Chorus is traditionally performed throughout the Christian world as part of the celebration of Easter. The Hallelujah Chorus is part of the Messiah, an oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741 with a Scriptural text by Charles Jennens. The Messiah is written in three parts. Part one is the Christmas story. Part two, the crucifixion and resurrection, is the Easter story. Part three covers redemption and Christ’s final victory over sin and death. Part two--the Easter story--culminates with the Hallelujah Chorus.
The Hallelujah Chorus is traditionally performed throughout the Christian world as part of the celebration of Easter. The Hallelujah Chorus is part of the Messiah, an oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741 with a Scriptural text by Charles Jennens. The Messiah is written in three parts. Part one is the Christmas story. Part two, the crucifixion and resurrection, is the Easter story. Part three covers redemption and Christ’s final victory over sin and death. Part two--the Easter story--culminates with the Hallelujah Chorus.
The Hallelujah Chorus is the part of the oratorio that brings people to their feet. Allegedly this tradition began when King George II came to the London premiere of the Messiah. When the Hallelujah Chorus rang out its first notes, the king rose to his feet and remained standing throughout the entire chorus. According to royal protocol, when the king stands, everyone must stand. So the entire audience stood for the duration of the piece, initiating a tradition that continues today.
The word Hallelujah is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that literally means “Praise God.” The word is found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, mostly in the psalms. To utter the word Hallelujah is to boast in God, to rise up with resounding praise, to shout for joy.
The word Hallelujah was translated into Greek and then Latin, resulting in the word Alleluia. Like our Hebrew ancestors, early Christians also used this word as an expression of joy, thanksgiving, hope and triumph.
The Alleluia is used in our liturgy as the Gospel acclamation and it is so important that it is only sung—never spoken! During the more reflective season of Lent, the Alleluia is replaced with another acclamation of praise.
The Hallelujah Chorus isn’t the only music that brings people to their feet. The Alleluia, as the Gospel acclamation, bids us to rise to greet the God who lives among us. To sing the Alleluia is to anticipate hope, to welcome joy, to encounter divine grace. Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
How Many Verses???
When rehearsing songs for a liturgy, it is not uncommon for musicians to ask, “How many verses are we doing?” The short answer is, “It depends.” Longer answers to this question are given in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.