In case any of you have taken my advice and have started downloading daily podcasts from Pray-as-You-Go, I feel the need to print what I hope is only a temporary disclaimer. Back when I first mentioned my new obsession with the 10-minute podcasts that offer reflections on daily Scripture readings set to an eclectic mix of music, I mentioned that as soon as I heard the soothing female voice with the British accent, I could feel my tense shoulders starting to relax. Well, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019ve done with that woman, but they\u2019ve replaced her with Eliza Doolittle — before Henry Higgins set out to turn her into a proper English lady.<\/p>\n
For the past two nights, I have found my jaw tensing up as I try to understand the high-speed Scripture readings in an accent that I cannot place other than to say that it\u2019s from the British Isles. Last night I actually had to take out the printed version of the reading from the Book of Amos because I had no idea what the woman was saying. There was no reflecting, no letting go of stress, no spiritual moment because I was so distracted by the accent. Today\u2019s reading in honor of the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle is a little better, but I think that\u2019s only because I know the reading so well I\u2019m not hanging on her every word.<\/p>\n