Our Music Ministry leads our parish in Taize Prayer 4 or 5 times a year.  It is always a beautiful evening of quiet, meditative, sung prayer.  I’d like to tell you a little more about this style of sung prayer and why it appeals to me.  My life is busy, hectic and noisy.  I find it hard to carve out moments of quiet, peace and silence.  To tell you the truth, I’m not even comfortable with silence in my life.  If I find myself home alone for even a few moments, the TV has to be on or at the very least music must be playing.  I have a hard time quieting myself long enough to read a book for an hour or two.  And yet, I know that God speaks in stillness and silence.  I personally find that God is very willing to speak to my heart.  I’m just not willing to sit still long enough to hear.  And when I do try to find those quiet moments in my life I find that my mind is easily distracted by my to do list or worries and God’s voice gets pushed aside.    I crave solitude, stillness and silence and I am starving.

The word “Taize” may be awkward to us.  The Taize style of prayer comes from a religious community in Taize France dedicated to bringing young adults together from around the world to share the Gospel and Worship together.  The brothers who live and minister there are both Catholic and Protestant.  They seek to find a common voice, a common love for the Lord and inspire young people to build a more peaceful and unified world.  The prayer of this community is simple and prayerful. 

This style of sung prayer reminds me of the Rosary.  The gentle repetition of praying the Hail Mary centers and stills my mind just enough to focus in on the mystery that I am praying.  It keeps the distractions at bay and allows me to mingle my own story with the life of Jesus in prayer.  The repetition of the prayer keeps me focused.  It defines the time and space for prayer. 

Music does the same thing.  Music is an art experienced in time and space.  It has a beginning and end and it is new and fresh with every performance.  The music of Taize is simple and repetitive.  The Music Ministry embellishes these simple refrains with instruments and choral parts.  But each piece of music has a simple thought that invites the participant to bring their own story, their own needs to the altar to mingle with the story of Jesus.   What I like about this style is that is assumes that you have something to bring to the worship experience.  It assumes that you come with your own experience of God, your own needs, worries, concerns, joys, triumphs and blessings.  The music and prayer are just the vehicle for you to still your mind and soul and sit with the Lord and share those experiences with Him in solitude while surrounded by your brothers and sisters in Christ. 

If you are starved for quiet, peace and stillness in your life, these simple evenings of prayer may be just for you.