Last week I spent several days at a monastery outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is a select journal entry from my time there.
I couldn't help but think Vespers played out as if I was watching some insane, eccentric stage director direct the monks at his whismy in the worst play ever. "ooo! Let's have everybody stand in straight lines wearing all black! Oh oh, wait! You three, yes you there, wear white robes, not black ones. And candles! Bring in some candles after you feel the song has gone on long enough. 30 minutes of singing in latin should do it. MORE white! We MUST have more white! You all wear white too. And capes! Gold capes! And more candles! Bring in more candles my capies. Now walk in a circle and kneel. Hm... nope, I don't like it, go back in a circle the other way walking backwards and kneel again. Everybody sit down. You! In the black, stand up awkwardly and sing one syllable by yourself! Sit back down. Everybody stand up and sing together now! WAIT!!! More candles! Must have more candles. Get a gold dangly candle and wiggle it around in front of everybody's face! Perfect. While he is doing that, capies, you all go prance around and do an uncomfortable kneeling dance while holding hands. You know, the one where you all prance around kneel randomly in unison... perfection."
No comments:
Post a Comment