Der Feuerteufel...only one word in German!

A moment of quiet

Most of you are probably familiar with the French ecumenical community and pilgrimage site called  Taize.  I learned of them many years ago and was intrigued, as I am very much interested in successful ecumenical efforts.  However, I was not familiar with their services or music until about 20 years ago.  I attended a Taize Good Friday service at the Washington National Cathedral and was mesmerized. It was, and is, the most memorable Good Friday service I have ever attended. Pure simplicity.

A couple of months ago I revisited the Sacred Space website of the Irish Jesuits, and downloaded the Pray as You Go app onto my tablet.  I read before going to sleep, and download my reading materials onto the tablet. So I started using the Pray as You Go app as the last thing at night. One of the first dates I listened to had a Taize chant that literally lulled me to sleep.  I now use Taize chants every night to calm my spirit so that I can sleep after a day reading so much upsetting news.

https://pray-as-you-go.org/

Taize chant is probably not to everyone's taste, especially among the music experts on this forum.

But,perhaps some might find some of the chants soothing and calming.  One that is very appropriate for now is the Taize chant of the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila, "Let Nothing Disturb you"


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=go1-BoDD7CI

Peace to all.

Hope for the Future

This photo of a seven year old Omaha girl, taken by Dalton Carper, was taken at a protest and shared by Kamala Harris.
From the story in the Omaha World Herald
"Zuri Jensen climbed onto the roof of her dad’s pickup truck. She balled her right hand into a fist and hoisted it in the air....Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California shared the image on her Instagram page, where it racked up more than 66,000 likes."

Archbishop Gregory has a word...update: photo op!

Apparently, Trump has followed up his visit to St. John's Episcopal Church last evening with one this morning to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine (formerly the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; ooops fact check: Still there. Two different institutions and buildings.).  Many fingers raised in welcome!

Archbishop Gregory of Washington, DC: “I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree,” Archbishop Wilton Gregory said in a statement.
“Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth. He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.” From the Guardian.

Good for Gregory (also from Chicago!).

Here you have it:

Voting By Mail

The latest disingenuous election year panic du jour is potential voter fraud from mail-in ballots. Why do I say that it's disingenuous?  Because most of the people (whom I have been in conversations with) who have voiced concerns about it have said that they voted by mail in the primary and planned to do it again in the fall.  But then went on to say that they felt it was too easy for someone who might want to cheat the system to vote fraudulently (but they didn't want to make it less convenient for themselves).
Oh, and guess who else voted by mail last time?  None other than the president, not to mention White House staff member, KellyAnne Conway.