Another day, another interesting group of people.
It was a windy night. Wind gusts that I'm guessing were about 30 to 40 M/H. Something metal in the courtyard below was blowing around and keeping me awake a good portion of the night. So after morning prayers and petit dejeuner I decided to return to my room and sleep a bit more. But in about half hour, I was awakened by many pounding footsteps and oviously young teenage voices coming up the stairs past my room. The hallway is very echo-y. It sounded like about 70 of them; actually turned out to be about 20. At this writing I still have not found out much about them. The hotelerie seems to be doing a good job at keeping them separate from adult guests. Although from what I have seen of this group, I would not mind having a chat with some one them. They were out in the fields today playing games, I think they hiked up to the grotto. And at vespers they were in the chapel - arrived few minutes before me. I took an empty seat behind them. Very impressive. They made a serious attempt to chant the psalms and antiphons. They bowed reverently with everyone else when the doxology was sung. When one made a mistake, and came in ahead of everyone else (at least she was singing) and others around her started to giggle, they were promptly "sshhusshhed" by their peers. Impressive. After vespers, they all filed out. One of the leaders explained about the exposition of the blessed sacrament, which always follows vespers. Most of them came in and were seated very prayerfully. Most remained about 15 minutes of the half hour adoration time.
In the salle de pelerins, during dinner, they were teenagers, in other words, very loud.
That made hearing the three other adults at table with me a bit hard to understand. Marc, the former diplomatic attache, is still here. Marie, a young woman from Paris, who comes to the hotelerie as a volunteer, and tonight a new face, a young man in the French army, heading for deployment to Africa, all spending a few days here for reflection time and prayer.
At lunch today, two couples, one for some hiking, and an older couple who are passing through sightseeing made for more interesting conversation. The man from the first couple lived in Arizona for 5 years and was proud to say has an American "green card" from his work.
This morning after I was re-awakened by the kids going upstairs, I decided to go for a walk. Choosing another road that runs closer to the base of the cliff, I saw some new views of the spectacular scenery that has made this place such a spiritual haven for 1600 years. (Did not have my camera, so I'll have to return for photos.) I miscalculated the time, (still no watch, Don) and made it back just in time for Mass. I was a good 15 minutes away from the center when I heard the bells ringing the call to worship. (yes, you guessed it - 15 minutes before the start of a service.) I came running in with little time to spare to throw on a alb and stole and chasuble. Good thing because I would have hated to miss this celebration. Today is the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, who after St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, as the Dominicans are officially known, this is maybe the most important feast day for this community. The Mass was beautiful with some of the most expressive chants I have yet heard. We used a special leaflet, that comes out once a year, with the hymns and chants of this day printed on it. There were a few more people at Mass today too. Local people I had seen on Sunday who must have come for this special feast day in the Dominican House.
Tomorrow, I will be picked up at the retreat center by M. et Mme. Emile and Gaelle Lardeux. I met Mme. Lardeux last Thursday. In our conversation, we shared about our interest in the historic pipe organs in the area. Her husband is a church organist and also the music director for the local base of the French Foreign Legion. From 2:00pm (or 14heures - I am still getting accustomed to the 24 hour clock in Europe), I will be their guest, visiting and playing historic pipe organs, one is 400 years old. I will have dinner at their home and return to the center tomorrow evening.
This afternoon, I did some study of the Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass. Last week, Frere Henri loaned me a French missal so I could study it. Its been a long time since I celebrated Mass in French, 1986 - 1991 at St. Anthony's in New Bedford, and 1991 to 1994 at Notre Dame in Fall River. I almost never used Eucharistic Prayer I because it was daily Mass. There were no weekend Masses in French. I need to practice and study it so that when I concelebrate, the text rolls off the tongue more easily and praying the words aloud sounds more natural. Also, as I said earlier, praying in a different language offers different idioms and imagery. One thing in particular is a phrase in the consecration of the Mass that really strikes me. At the time of the consecration of the chalice, we say in English, "...the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for you and for ALL..." In French, we say "...pour vous et pour la MULTITUDE..." The word "multitude" which the French translation uses is the same word that the Gospel of Matthew uses in the account of the Sermon on the Mount to describe the crowds who have come to hear Jesus preach. And so it describes us as a group of people who have come to hear the preaching of the Lord, who are hungry for the Word and Sacrament. This slight difference in language may not seem like much, but on reflection, there is a huge difference. It gives a context to the community assembled to receive the Eternal Word. The word "all" at first hearing is pleasing because it is inclusive, and non-discriminating. The word "multitude" is as much a description of those assembling deliberately and those casual listeners who may have been passing by Jesus at the time of his teaching. I like it because it gives a scriptural context to the action of the assembly at this most sacred moment of our liturgy.
I went to the hall to practice piano for about an hour. The only copies of music I packed with me are pieces that I have either never learned and have been wanting to for a long time, or that I have not touched since 1975 in my college days when my playing was far more accomplished than it is these days. Its another attempt during my sabbatical to get back to important things, and renewal in my life.
Well its time to Skype Mom and then go to bed.
A demain.
