Vespers

Mary Beth's voice chants. I see her face lit up with the light from the chanter's stand. The rest of the seminary isn't used to the high, bright notes. They offer an almost-bodiless, tangible ison of support. A few voices chant the same words in a bass echo. Her bell-tones ring out the Truth and Beauty we celebrate: the life of a saint called to us with a melody of the fourth tone — that so recognizably used to venerate the Theotokos. The church huddles, cozy and mostly dark against the swirling white of the evening's oncoming blizzard. We hear one voice supported by all, anchored by the voices of those clinging to our shared Anchor. This is the way to know what voices speak the Truth: those supported by the body of the Church. It is a beauty to witness and a joy in which to participate.