anglomedved

A friend, a religious near here, a former and gifted icon painting student of my wife, sent me a short note yesterday asking me to join in prayer for the 60th anniversary of Taizé yesterday. 

She quoted me a line from their weekday Missal: “the reconciliation of Christians is urgently needed today, it cannot be constantly put off till later, until the end of time. Over the years the ecumenical vocation has brought about incomparable exchanges. They are the first fruits of a reconciliation. But when the ecumenical vocation does not take concrete form in a communion, it leads nowhere."

I blow hot and cold on ecumenism. I hate the word – ecumenism has always struck me more as polite hobby than urgency. If you have to work together with people of other churches, which I am doing all the time, you just roll up your sleeves and get on with it. Yes there are perhaps a dozen times a year where I find myself at another confession's Eucharist, and yes it would be nice if I could take communion with the others, and I don’t, probably more out of discipline (and not causing a scandal) than conviction. But it’s not critical for my spiritual life. And I’m not really how sure how much it is for anyone faced with a commit/don’t commit decision, other than as an excuse not to commit.

Yes, Taizé, I’m sure you do good things. Put please could you do something about that red and brown 'San Damiano' painted cross of yours. It may have historical and sentimental value, but it is artistically hideous.