The young people from Salesian Province of New Delhi had an uplifting experience of Taize candlelit prayer before the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Kuarmunda in Orissa. The beautiful ambient created by the lighted lamps with the Cross at the centre of the stage evoked a sense of awe in every one gathered for the Taize prayer on the eve of 11th October, 2019. Short songs, repeated again and again by the Jeevan Dhara Christ band, gave it a meditative character. Using just a few words they expressed a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by all present. As the words were sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrated the whole being of the young participants. It allowed everyone present to take part in a time of prayer together, and to remain together in attentive waiting on God. The prayers uttered by Fr. Deepak Kindo moved about 350 young people present to reconciliation and to the Sacrament of Confession. The candlelit service, bible readings, prayers, moments of silence, music and confessions gave all present a glimpse of ‘heaven’s joy on earth’ and allowed all to encounter God in a new way. Certainly, the experience linked the young people with a community which spans the whole globe.
Fr, Babu Varghese SDB