Brother Roger of Taizé
Roger Schütz was founder of the Taizé community and a living paradox. Totally identified with the ecumenical “monastery” he had created, humble and stubborn, childlike and cunning, mystical and realist, mild and authoritarian, he was a pioneer in the ecumenical field and never wavered in his self-imposed lifelong mission: to work towards the reconciliation of Christians. In 1940, he visited the village of Taizé, in Burgundy, with the idea of founding a protestant monastic community. He bought two derelict houses and helped the war victims. He was forced to flee from the Gestapo in 1942, after being denounced to the Vichy regime. He returned in 1944 with a group of ecumenically minded friends to set up a community. As he explained: “I discovered my Christian identity by reconciling within myself my protestant origins and my faith in the Catholic Church.”
Five years later, the first brothers took the three traditional monastic vows, in a slightly modified form: celibacy, sharing of possessions and acceptance of an authority. Brother Roger drew up the first rule of Taizé, which was summed up in the phrase: “Preserve at all times an interior silence to live in Christ’s presence and cultivate the spirit of the Beatitudes: joy, simplicity, mercy.” The community did not seek official recognition, and although it was viewed with suspicion by the mainstream churches, both protestant and Catholic, it grew rapidly. The brothers numbered 12 in 1950, 65 in 1965, and more than 100 today.
Schütz steered a careful path between political commitment and revolutionary violence. While Taizé is in favour of aid to the third world and the developing countries, its language remains vague and idealistic. Brother Roger’s charisma was founded on beautiful language, high-flown ideas and moving prayers. He succeeded in channelling the revolt of the 1968 generation into the calmer waters of spirituality. Taizé’s success lies in its idealism. It is not liberal or conservative, Catholic or Protestant. It is idealistic. Its strength is in the poetry of its message, open to any interpretation. Schutz loved paradoxes, and the title of one of his books, La Dynamique Du Provisoire (the dynamism of the ephemeral) says it all. A second strength is its resistance to fashion. It used to be unfashionably opposed to doubt and contention; now it is unfashionably opposed to certainty and a reaffirmation of Christian identity. Its third strength was its founder and guide: Roger Schütz, who was killed on this day in 2005 at the age of 90.
The Guardian
Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/8n5p29s7
God is love, and whoever abides in love
abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and from whom no secrets are hid:
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5
O Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth will declare your praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me;
make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Praise to you, O Christ, Alleluia!
HYMN: Taizé
Tune: https://tinyurl.com/ysb5vxkb
Bless the Lord, my soul,
and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul,
who leads me into life.
Verse (in English):
It is God who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
God does not treat us according to our sins,
nor replay us according to our faults.
As a father has compassion on his children,
The Lord has pity on those who fear him,
for God knows of what we are made.
God remembers that we are dust.
PSALMS
Psalm 82 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/razmhgg)
1 God standeth in the congregation of princes *
he is a Judge among gods.
2 How long will ye give wrong judgement *
and accept the persons of the ungodly?
3 Defend the poor and fatherless *
see that such as are in need and necessity have right.
4 Deliver the out-cast and poor *
save them from the hand of the ungodly.
5 They will not be learned nor understand, but walk on still in darkness *
all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods *
and ye are all the children of the most Highest.
7 But ye shall die like men *
and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, and judge thou the earth *
for thou shalt take all heathen to thine inheritance.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 83 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/vofvsch)
1 Hold not thy tongue, O God, keep not still silence *
refrain not thyself, O God.
2 For lo, thine enemies make a murmuring *
and they that hate thee have lift up their head.
3 They have imagined craftily against thy people *
and taken counsel against thy secret ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us root them out,
that they be no more a people *
and that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have cast their heads together with one consent *
and are confederate against thee;
6 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismaelites *
the Moabites, and Hagarens;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek *
the Philistines, with them that dwell at Tyre.
8 Assur also is joined with them *
and have holpen the children of Lot.
9 But do thou to them as unto the Madianites *
unto Sisera, and unto Jabin at the brook of Kison;
10 Who perished at Endor *
and became as the dung of the earth.
11 Make them and their princes like Oreb and Zeb *
yea, make all their princes like as Zeba and Salmana;
12 Who say, Let us take to ourselves *
the houses of God in possession.
13 O my God, make them like unto a wheel *
and as the stubble before the wind;
14 Like as the fire that burneth up the wood *
and as the flame that consumeth the mountains.
15 Persecute them even so with thy tempest *
and make them afraid with thy storm.
16 Make their faces ashamed, O Lord *
that they may seek thy Name.
17 Let them be confounded and vexed ever more and more *
let them be put to shame, and perish.
18 And they shall know that thou, whose Name is Jehovah *
art only the most Highest over all the earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 84 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/qtssfwx)
1 O how amiable are thy dwellings *
thou Lord of hosts!
2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord *
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young *
even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house *
they will be alway praising thee.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee *
in whose heart are thy ways.
6 Who going through the vale of misery use it for a well *
and the pools are filled with water.
7 They will go from strength to strength *
and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer *
hearken, O God of Jacob.
9 Behold, O God our defender *
and look upon the face of thine Anointed.
10 For one day in thy courts *
is better than a thousand.
11 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God *
than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
12 For the Lord God is a light and defence *
the Lord will give grace and worship,
and no good thing shall he withhold from them that live a godly life.
13 O Lord God of hosts *
blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 85 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/wzy6e5z)
1 Lord, thou art become gracious unto thy land *
thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy people *
and covered all their sins.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy displeasure *
and turned thyself from thy wrathful indignation.
4 Turn us then, O God our Saviour *
and let thine anger cease from us.
5 Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever *
and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another?
6 Wilt thou not turn again, and quicken us *
that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord *
and grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me *
for he shall speak peace unto his people,
and to his saints, that they turn not again.
9 For his salvation is nigh them that fear him *
that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall flourish out of the earth *
and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall shew loving-kindness *
and our land shall give her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him *
and he shall direct his going in the way.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 82 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-82.mp3)
1 God takes his stand in the council of heaven; *
he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly, *
and show favor to the wicked?
3 Save the weak and the orphan; *
defend the humble and needy;
4 Rescue the weak and the poor; *
deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5 They do not know, neither do they understand;
they go about in darkness; *
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 Now I say to you, ‘You are gods, *
and all of you children of the Most High;
7 Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, *
and fall like any prince.'”
8 Arise, O God, and rule the earth, *
for you shall take all nations for your own.
Psalm 83 (Jason Silver: https://tinyurl.com/snww3bp6]
Refrain:
O God, do not keep silence;
Do not hold your peace or be still,
O God! Even now your enemies are roaring;
Those who hate you, rearing up their heads. (x2)
They lay crafty plans against your people;
They consult together against those you protect.
They say, ”˜Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
”Let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
They conspire with one accord against you.
Make a covenant with the tents of Edom and Moab
Ishmaelites, and Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, Tyre; Assyria: they’re the strong arm of Lot. [Refrain]
Do to them as you did to Midian,
As to Sisera and Jabin at Wadi Kishon,
Who perished at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb, like Oreb and like Zeeb,
All their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
Who said, ”˜Let us take the land of God for our own.”
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff to wind.
As the fire burns the forest, so pursue with your storms.
Fill their faces with shame,
So then they may seek your name, O Lord.
Let them ever be dismayed;
Let them perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you alone,
Whose name is Lord,
Are the Most High over all the earth. [Refrain x 2]
Psalm 83 (Coptic Chant: https://tinyurl.com/pbrzs4pf)
How beloved are Your dwellings,
O Lord, God of hosts!
My soul longs, and faints for the courts of the Lord:
my heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God.
For, the sparrow has found for himself a home,
and the turtledove for herself a nest,
where she may lay her young;
your altars, O Lord, God of hosts, my King, and my God.
Blessed are all who dwell in your house:
they will praise you forever and ever.
Blessed is the man whose help is from you, O Lord;
he sets paths upward in his heart in the valley of weeping,
in the place which he has appointed,
for there the Law‑Giver will grant blessings.
They shall go from strength to strength:
the God of gods shall be revealed in Zion.
O Lord, God of hosts, hear my prayer:
hearken, O God of Jacob.
Behold, O God our defender,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
For one day in your courts
is better than thousands.
I chose to throw myself down in the house of God,
more than to dwell in the tents of the sinners.
For the Lord God loves mercy and truth;
he shall give grace and glory:
the Lord shall not withhold good things
from those who walk in innocence.
O Lord God of hosts,
blessed is the man who hopes in You. ALLELUIA.
Psalm 85 (Plainsong: http://oremus.org/chant/Psalm-85.mp3)
1 You have been gracious to your land, O LORD, *
you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *
and blotted out all their sins.
3 You have withdrawn all your fury *
and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
4 Restore us then, O God our Savior; *
let your anger depart from us.
5 Will you be displeased with us for ever? *
will you prolong your anger from age to age?
6 Will you not give us life again, *
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O LORD, *
and grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, *
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.
PRAYER
God of grace,
you loved the world so much
that you gave your only Son to be our Savior.
Help us to rejoice in your redeeming grace
by showing mercy,
and by walking in the way of justice and peace,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, redeemer of the world. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
Jacob ordered them, “I am soon to join my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that’s in the field of Ephron the Hittite; in the cave that’s in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in the land of Canaan that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial property. That is where Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, and where Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and where I buried Leah. It is the field and the cave in it that belonged to the Hittites.” After he finished giving orders to his sons, he put his feet up on the bed, took his last breath, and joined his people.
Joseph fell across his father’s body, wept over him, and kissed him. Joseph then ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. They mourned for him forty days because that is the period required for embalming. Then the Egyptians mourned him for seventy days. After the period of mourning had passed, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s household: “If you approve my request, give Pharaoh this message: My father made me promise, telling me, ‘I’m about to die. You must bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now, let me leave and let me bury my father, and then I will return.” Pharaoh replied, “Go, bury your father as you promised.”
So Joseph left to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s servants went with him, together with the elder statesmen in his household and all of the elder statesmen in the land of Egypt, Joseph’s entire household, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only the children, flocks, and cattle remained in the land of Goshen. Even chariots and horsemen went with him; it was a huge collection of people. When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan River, they observed a solemn, deeply sorrowful period of mourning. He grieved seven days for his father.
When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw the observance of grief on Atad’s threshing floor, they said, “This is a solemn observance of grief by the Egyptians.” Therefore, its name is Abel-mizraim. It is on the other side of the Jordan River. Israel’s sons did for him just as he had ordered. His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hittite. Then Joseph returned to Egypt, he, his brothers, and everyone who left with him to bury his father.
HYMN: Thomas H Troeger ©
Tune: Kingsfold https://tinyurl.com/3jnbtfe3
1 God weeps with us who weep and mourn;
God’s tears flow down with ours,
and God’s own heart is bruised and worn
from all the heavy hours
of watching while the soul’s bright fire
burned lower day by day,
and pulse and breath and love’s desire
dimmed down to ash and clay.
2 Through tears and sorrow, God, we share
a sense of your vast grief:
the weight of bearing ev’ry prayer
for healing and relief,
the burden of our questions why,
the doubts that they engage,
and as our friends and loved ones die,
our hopelessness and rage.
3 And yet because, like us, you weep,
we trust you will receive
and in your tender heart will keep
the ones for whom we grieve,
while with your tears our hearts will taste
the deep, dear core of things
from which both life and death are graced
by love’s renewing springs.
You heard about my previous life in Judaism, how severely I harassed God’s church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my peers, because I was much more militant about the traditions of my ancestors. But God had set me apart from birth and called me through his grace. He was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach about him to the Gentiles. I didn’t immediately consult with any human being. I didn’t go up to Jerusalem to see the men who were apostles before me either, but I went away into Arabia and I returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. But I didn’t see any other of the apostles except James the brother of the Lord. Before God, I’m not lying about the things that I’m writing to you! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, but I wasn’t known personally by the Christian churches in Judea. They only heard a report about me: “The man who used to harass us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.” So they were glorifying God because of me.
HYMN: attr. Francis Xavier; trans. Edward Caswall
Tune: St Francis Xavier https://tinyurl.com/2aa6hap7
1 My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heav’n thereby,
nor yet for fear that, loving not,
I might forever die.
But for that Thou didst all mankind
upon the cross embrace;
for us didst bear the nails and spear,
and manifold disgrace;
2 And griefs and torments numberless,
and sweat of agony,
e’en death itself, and all for man,
who was Thine enemy.
Then why, most loving Jesus Christ,
should I not love Thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heav’n,
nor any fear of hell;
3 Not with the hope of gaining aught,
nor seeking a reward,
but as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord!
E’en so I love Thee, and will love,
and in Thy praise will sing,
solely because Thou art my God,
and my eternal King!
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to share a meal in the home of one of the leaders of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely. A man suffering from an abnormal swelling of the body was there. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Does the Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?” But they said nothing. Jesus took hold of the sick man, cured him, and then let him go. He said to them, “Suppose your child or ox fell into a ditch on the Sabbath day. Wouldn’t you immediately pull it out?” But they had no response.
CANTICLE Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55)
(Andrew Rottner: https://tinyurl.com/ybqv7yxk)
He who is mighty, has shown great strength to me
And his mercy is for those who fear his holy name
And he has shown strength with his arm and his law
And he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He who is mighty has brought the wicked shame
And his anger is for those who curse his holy name
And he has shown rage with the mighty in their thrones
And he has lifted the low into his glorious home
O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.
He who is mighty has not forgotten me
And his helping is for those to serve his holy name
He has shown remembrance with his servant Israel
And he spoke the promise from which all my doubts dispel
O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.
O my soul magnifies the Lord,
Yes my soul magnifies the Lord.
THE PRAYERS PWC
O God of our salvation, guard and direct your church
in the way of unity, service and praise.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Give to all nations an awareness of the unity of the human family.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Cleanse our hearts of prejudice and selfishness,
and inspire us to hunger and thirst for what is right.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Teach us to use your creation for your greater praise
so that all may share the good things you provide.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Strengthen all who give their energy or skill
for the healing of those who are sick in body or in mind.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Set free all who are bound by fear and despair.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Grant a peaceful end and eternal rest to all who are dying
and your comfort to those who mourn.
God our strength, hear our prayer.
Setting by Eric Wyse:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
God of mercy,
you reconciled us to yourself in Christ;
and of that good news
your servant Brother Roger was a passionate witness
in and through the community at Taizé;
help us to follow his example
of renewing trust in one another and in you,
that together we may join in harmony to sing your praises;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. FATS
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
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BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
RCLP Revised Common Lectionary Prayers. © 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.
PWC PRAY WITHOUT CEASING: Morning and Evening Prayer for the Seasons of the Church Year Prepared by The Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett on behalf of The Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada, May 2016.
FATS For All the Saints, © The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 2014
The opening description of Br. Roger is adapted from The Guardian obituary: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/aug/19/guardianobituaries.religion
The three main scripture readings are © 2011 Common English Bible
The traditional language psalms are from The Book of Common Prayer (1662). The modern language versions of Psalms 82 and 85 are from the The Book of Common Prayer (1979) and is sung by Ryland Angel. Psalm 83 is the version sung by Jason Silver, while Psalm 84 is the Coptic chant in the version used in the Agpeya, the Coptic office book.
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2023 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
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