I *heart* my Parish!

This is just a taste of the gorgeous and unique music we get to hear at mass.

This is a 13th century piece sung in middle English (which I find fascinating!)



This is the translation:

"Stand well, mother, under the cross, behold your child with a glad spirit; a happy mother may you be."

"Son, how may I happily stand? I see your feet and your hands nailed to the hard tree."

"Mother, put away your weeping. I suffer this death for mankind; I do not suffer for my own guilt."

"Son, I feel the wounds of death, the sword is at the bottom of my heart as Simeon promised me."

"Mother, have pity on your child! Wipe away the bloody tears that wound me worse than my own death."

"Son, how can I refrain from tears? I see these bloody streams run from your heart onto my foot."

"Mother, now I may say unto you, better it is that I alone die than all mankind go to hell."

"Son, I see thy body beaten, breast and hand and foot pierced through; no wonder that I am grieved."

"Mother, if I may tell you, unless I die, you go to hell; I suffer death for your sake."

Is that not beautiful? We are so blessed!

A Blessed Ash Wednesday to Everyone!

So what are you all doing for Lent?

I'll be giving up sugar (again), that was tough! We'll also be giving up fast food (we've been bad lately!) I'm going to try and pray a rosary each day and start chores, BEFORE checking the boards and blogs.

I hope everyone who is joining the Church at Easter (Aimee and Erik come to mind!) will relish this time of preparation and fasting. I'll be keeping all of you in my prayers, and I can't wait to share your joy with you at Easter!

Let us pray that this Lent will help us reproduce in our lives the self-sacrificing love of Christ. Amen.

Pretty Cool!

Hey jdavidb, I thought of you when I read about this. ;-)

That Catholic Show - Sit, Stand, and Kneel

I believe I'm a bit behind the times as I've seen this on other blogs before, but I finally got around to watching it and thought it was pretty cool! Enjoy!

Thank You, Papa

I couldn't pass up mentioning the hottest topic on the Catholic blogosphere of late...I am, of course, talking about the long awaited motu proprio, Sommurum Pontificum. (That's an unofficial translation).

What really touched me was part of the letter to the bishops accompanying the motu proprio, which can be found here.

The more I see Pope Benedict's gentle way of guiding the Church, the more deeply I come to appreciate and love him. The way he so succinctly summed up the core issue in all of this is just beautiful.

This glance at the past imposes an obligation on us today: to make every effort to enable for all those who truly desire unity to remain in that unity or to attain it anew. I think of a sentence in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, where Paul writes: “Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return … widen your hearts also!” (2 Cor 6:11-13). Paul was certainly speaking in another context, but his exhortation can and must touch us too, precisely on this subject. Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.(Emphasis mine)

Isn't that the heart of it all? If you believe what Christ said, that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church, then you must make room in your heart to accept whatever the Church says is allowed.

To those who worry that the rad trads are trying to take over and do away with the Novus Ordo, he says not to worry, no one is trying to get rid of it at all.

To those who think that the Novus Ordo is invalid and bad, he says nonsense, what the Church has allowed you must allow yourself.

The Holy Father reminds us that there are not two masses or two rites pitted against each other, there is one mass with different forms. These do not contradict, but enrich each other.

As often as I feel stuck in the middle between two extremes, constantly defending and explaining myself to both sides, reading this was like a breath of fresh air. I wish I could hug him for it!

Thank you, Papa.

Patriotic Mass?

I do hope everyone out there had a great 4th of July! I'm wondering, though, how many of y'all were lucky enough to sing patriotic songs at mass? We were doubly lucky, because we got to sing some 2 weeks in a row! (In case you missed it, there was just a smidgen of sarcasm there.)

Perhaps it's because I'm married to a non-American, but when I hear "America the Beautiful" sung at mass, it just kinda makes me cringe. I'm all for God blessing our country and everything, but I'm also for God blessing the rest of the world too. Maybe I'm just already over sensitive to any hint of fanatical patriotism or nationalism, as I've seen way too many people who think of America as a Messianic country, the New Jerusalem, the Light of the World, and all kinds of other crazy and extremely self-important ideas. So when I'm at mass expecting to sing about God, and open the hymnal to a song about America instead, it just reminds me of all those wacky nut jobs who think America is God's gift to the rest of the world. But I'm not sure if there's some other reason it bothers me, or if I'm just being over sensitive.

So what say ye on patriotic songs at mass? Yea or Nay?

On a side note, I couldn't help but snicker at the line admonishing America (and, presumably, Americans) to "confirm thy soul in self control," as I pondered the rampant consumerism and over-abundance in which we're drowning ourselves.

It Might Be a Bad Homily If....

There's an amusing list of the top ten signs that you might be listening to a bad homily listed on this blog.

These were among my favorites:

1. JESUS WAS NICE - YOU BE NICE TOO

This is the homiliy we usually hear in our suburban parishes. Love = quiescene / Fighting for what you love = evil. If this theme describes what you're hearing ... it might be a bad homily.


2. WWW.HOMILIES-R-US.COM

Beware of homilies that start with anecdotes about cute crap. "A boy at camp whose mother sent him cookies ..." "There was a woman who found she had a terminal illness ..." Anything with a Reader's Digest flavor to it is probably from www.homilies-r-us.com, which is what I call the clearing house for shallow thinking sermons that fit easily into a template. If your priest sounds like he's beginning his talk with a canned anecdote ... it might be a bad homily.


3. DON'T GET IT WRONG, BUT DON'T GET IT RIGHT ENOUGH. [Oh this one is SOOO spot on! This is usually my most common complaint!]

This is very common. The priest doesn't say anything wrong or heretical per se, but he makes a huge implication about the nature of the Faith in what he leaves out of his homily, in what he does not say.

So, for example, if speaking on Our Lord's commission to the apostles at the end of the Gospel of John ("Feed my sheep" "Someone will lead you, Peter, where you do not want to go"), a bad homilist will focus on how important it is that we must care for the poor, and leave it at that. True enough, but what about Our Lord's promise to Peter that in feeding his sheep and tending his flock he will be persecuted? There's an edge to this reading that a bad homilist will always cut away, giving us the gelded interpretation.

This is akin to discussing "King Lear" and saying, "a daugther should be nice to her father". Well, true, but that sure leaves a lot out.

If your homilist Doesn't Get it Wrong, but Doesn't Get it Right Enough ... it might be a bad homily.


4. SHECKY GREEN PRESENTS

If your homilist tells more jokes than Heny Youngman with a fiddle ... it might be a bad homily.

He asks for readers' input, so feel free to go add your own!

Curtsy to Mark Shea for the link!

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi Continued...

A fellow board member from the NFP board made a blog post about a recent trip to an Orthodox Church entitled Don't take a disgruntled Catholic into an Orthodox Church. I thought this part was especially penetrating:

Modern Catholic churches have abandoned this separation between the nave and the sanctuary, and it is not accidental. Church designs have been driven by a true change in belief, at least of the architects. Church design promotes inclusion, not separation. I understand the drive, in Christianity God is, in a way, both immanent and transcendent, both here and not here, both Same and Other. However, it was folly to abandon centuries of tradition without care or thought. The loss of a "holy space" in the Church has been followed by a loss of a sense of the Holy, in general. There has been a dramatic change in the understood nature of the priesthood. Priests are now counselors or leaders, rather than individuals set apart to represent the whole of humankind to God, and to represent God to their congregation. I can't help but think that the crisis in the priesthood (priests leaving, "the scandal," drop in number of vocations) is intimately connected to this change in belief.

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

After the Triduum, while speaking to various people about their Holy Week experiences, there were comments here and there about Holy Thursday mass, and whether or not the current guidelines set out for the foot washing were followed in various parishes. (Ed Peters has a good article about that here.) At times, people get a bit put off by what they perceive as "legalism" or nit picking. "Well isn't the important thing," they say, "that we learned a lesson about serving each other? Isn't that what Christ's message is all about?" And certainly, this is a lesson worth teaching. The problem is, in setting aside what is prescribed in the rubrics, we're often missing out on a deeper meaning. The thing that I LOVE about the liturgy is that it is SO full of meaning, every tiny little thing is there for a REASON! When we start to stray from the rubrics, we're actually losing the deep and meaningful aspects of liturgical worship that so many people are longing for.

I'm quite sad to say that I've been a Catholic for 5 years now, and this is the first year I realized that the whole foot washing has something to do with the institution of the priesthood. Why is that? Primarily because I've yet to hear it mentioned at Holy Thursday mass. Most of the Holy Thursday masses I have been to have thrown out that important distinction in favor of being PC and inclusive, presumably out of fear of offending women, etc, and sticking to the easy to preach and PC message that we all need to serve one another (again, not that there's anything wrong with that message, per se, except that it's pretty much the only message we ever hear nowadays, because it's acceptable and inoffensive.)

Even in my own usually very orthodox parish, women were among the foot washees, and no mention was made of the institution of the priesthood. I was attempting to explain why this was bothersome at all to one of the above mentioned standard inquirers, when I came across an excellent description in this article, which revealed the meaning behind the phrase Lex orandi, lex credendi, and its significance.

There is a Latin maxim that addresses the centrality of worship in the life, identity and mission of the Church; “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”. The phrase in Latin literally means the law of prayer ("the way we worship"), and the law of belief ("what we believe"). It is sometimes written as, "lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi", further deepening the implications of this truth - how we worship reflects what we believe and determines how we will live. The law of prayer or worship is the law of life. Or, even more popularly rendered, as we worship, so will we live…and as we worship, so will we become!

And isn't this true! This is the heart of the matter...one small change in liturgy can literally end up as a change in belief down the road! So, while there may be nothing intrinsically wrong with some of the liturgical changes that are made illicitly, and while they may even be things that lots of people like and enjoy and feel lifts them up spiritually, the problem is not that they are bad or wrong in and of themselves...it's just that they are usually replacing a much more meaningful form of worship that has so much historical depth behind it, and what's worse is that people are totally unaware of what they're missing! And THAT is why it is so bothersome...not because we want to be nit picky, but because we want (for ourselves and for ALL Catholics) to be able to experience the full depth and meaning of the mass as it was meant to be, and a lot of us are being denied that because of the whims and fancies (and might I add, arrogance) of modernism. What is prescribed for the liturgy was not decided in a day, everything is there for a reason, and when we decide that we know better than the Church what will "uplift us" spiritually, we will inevitably lose what it is the Church is trying to hand down to us through our worship.

I, for one, don't want to lose that...I want so desperately to cling to it! And that is why it is frustrating to have to deal with liturgical abuse, because if I'm not being taught the proper way to worship, if I don't even know what I'm missing or that I'm even missing anything at all, how can I be sure I'm receiving and living the complete and unadulterated faith? It's not out of fear of Hell that I worry about this, but out of a strong desire to embrace the fullness of my faith, to know it thoroughly and to live it! Sometimes, it just makes me a bit sad that I, and others, should have to fight so hard to even know what the fullness of the faith is. I often wish I could attend mass and completely trust that there are no abuses, completely trust that the resident priest would never allow such a thing, to believe that his personal motto was lex orandi, lex credendi.

B16 Totally Rocks - Latin and Gregorian Chant for All!

In his just released Sacrementum Caritatis, which speaks of the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and its importance, Pope Benedict says the following:

62. None of the above observations should cast doubt upon the importance of such large-scale liturgies. I am thinking here particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant. (184)

Fortunately, I already attend a parish where Gregorian Chant is sung, though I wouldn't mind more of it, and we could definitely do with more Latin! Not that I expect things to change tomorrow, but it was heartening to read this nonetheless, especially about seminarians being prepared to use Latin and Gregorian Chant, it gives me much hope for the future!

Curtsy to Kate!

Singing the Mass

There's an interesting blog post and discussion going on over at Amy Welborn's blog concerning liturgical music. Lol, I had to laugh at this part, as it brought to mind my own recent experience (which I blogged about here.)

People feel so strongly about liturgical music, and most of the people who seem to be reading and posting on Catholic blogs feel strongly negative about most of the music they hear in Catholic Masses.

(And I am careful not to generalize to the broader Catholic population here. There are plenty of folks out there who love the music that many of the commentors and bloggers despise. I am always reminded of this when I'm unfortunate enough to be present when Let There Be Peace on Earth is used - usually as a final hymn, correct? And the congregation usually blasts it - unlike any other piece in the repertoire. That part that makes me want to pour lye in my ears ...to taaaaake each moment and liiiiiiive each moment in peeeeeace eternaleeeee-eeeeee! ...usually raises the roof. So go figure, and don't generalize, is the lesson of the day.)

But the real point of the post is not to pit one form of music against another or argue about which is better or prettier or more reverent...it calls into question the very purpose of music in mass. And I think Fr. Vidrine summed up the idea nicely with a comment he made on the post, "Simply stated, the Church calls us to SING THE HOLY MASS, not sing AT Mass." This is a pretty new idea to me, and one I'd like to read more about. As much as I love the old traditional hymns, perhaps even those are not technically the best way to make the mass into a "seamless whole."

On a related note (bad pun alert), one point that was made in the comments that I very much agreed with was that, the way hymns and praise 'n worship type songs are used in many modern masses (say that five times fast!), it often ends up seeming more Protestant than Catholic, more of a collection of disjointed songs and spoken prayers than a unified whole, and that's really quite unfortunate. I'm certainly not even close to being an expert on this issue, but it would be something if our liturgical leaders could help us find the intended use of sacred music in the liturgy so that we could all experience the mass at its best, and perhaps that means learning to sing the mass instead of just singing at mass.

St. Cecilia, Pray for Us

I love my parish, I really do...one of my favorite things is the music. Yes, I'm admittedly a music snob. I just don't like the fluffy Haugen/Haas stuff, it doesn't elevate my thoughts heavenward, it usually just distracts me. This site about sums up my thoughts on the matter. (Disclaimer: this does not mean I think people who like it are evil or somehow less-than, it's just my preference.) At my parish, we're so lucky to have a beautiful professional choir, a talented organist, and a wonderful director of music. At the noon mass, we regularly hear gregorian chant, Haydn, Bach, Palestrina, and even some Mozart. *Blissful sigh*...Aahh...music that is nothing less than divine. The hymns are traditional, accompanied by organ only, the congregation actually sings along with the choir, and sometimes I'm even able to break out in harmony, especially if it's a song we sung back in my CoC days. (That's one of the very few things I miss about the Church of Christ...four part harmony written in the hymnals!) It's definitely my cup of tea!

Today, we ended up going to the Sunday evening mass. We go every once in a while when we sleep in on Sunday morning. The music there is very nice too. There's a great classical guitarist who is very good, and usually one cantor who also sings some solos during mass. It's a quiet mass, and very peaceful. Unlike the noon mass, people tend to be a bit more shy about singing. After all, there's no choir and organ to back them up, so it's understandable. Which brings me to my small rant...

There we were, waiting to line up for communion, when the guitarist and the soloist suddenly start playing "On Eagle's Wings," a song that, in my opinion, is more suited for some cheesy broadway play than mass. But it's ok...I grin and bear it. After all, we've heard the guitarist and soloist do "Lord of the Dance" on more than one occasion before. The guitarist and soloist are not overwhelming, so I close my eyes and try to think about Christ with the broadway-sounding tune softly playing in the background, when suddenly I hear....people around me SINGING! "And He will liiiift you up, on eeeeagles' wings..." Wha?? People don't normally sing along with the soloist at this mass during communion, especially when the only hymnal page numbers on display were for the processional and recessional hymns...and on top of that, this song isn't even IN the hymnal we use at our parish!! Why are people singing now when they barely sing the other hymns at all at this mass? After that song was over, "Be Not Afraid" was up next. This one I don't like because of the lyrics, which are written in the first person perspective of God, so that we sing God's part. (See here for more about that.) Again, the song isn't even in our hymnals, and again, people around me were belting it out. I was baffled.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think there's anything wrong with these people singing along, even though I don't particularly find the songs uplifting...what bothers me is that, in comparison, during the beautiful traditional hymns, for which we have hymnals right in front of us, they were nearly silent. Why? The lyrics from these old hymns are filled with words of such beauty and reverence and obviously Catholic beliefs. The melodies are simple and beautiful and one would think, familiar. But...it is not so. Not to the current generation of mass-goers. Sadly, traditional hymns are rarely played at many parishes. Modern songs dominate the liturgy, songs which are fluffy and annoyingly catchy in the way that pop songs and broadway tunes can be...you know, those songs that get stuck in your head whether you want them to or not. Some of these are songs which are not even always compatible with Catholic teaching, for instance, songs that speak of the Eucharist as if it's merely symbolic. (See here for more about that.) So, it seems the catchiness often overrides the content nowadays. In a word, it seems sadly superficial. And these are the only songs people seem to know well enough to sing by heart.

I suppose some of my angst on this matter comes from my CoC background. I grew up in a church that knew how to sing and sing well. Hymns were always sung in four part harmony, and so it was already hard for me to let go of my beloved alto line and stick to the Catholic unison melody. But I can stand that if at least the hymns are meaningful and thoughtful and lift my thoughts heavenward. If they're none of those things, though, it makes me wonder, what's the point? I can sing a content-light catchy tune anytime, while I'm driving down the road, while I'm cleaning my house. But hymns are supposed to be more than that...aren't they? They're supposed to praise the Lord our God and lift our minds heavenward. Perhaps the modern tunes can acheive that for some...but admittedly, I have a hard time understanding how. Nevertheless, I don't blame the people in the pews for liking the catchy tunes, that's understandable. I do blame liturgical directors and music directors, though, who refuse to consider playing anything that might not "entertain" the masses enough. People will never learn to appreciate what they are never exposed to, and by dismissing all the music from the long history of the Catholic Church, save catchy tunes from the last 40 years or so, they are depriving Catholics of so much.

Well, I suppose that's enough blabbing about that. I must say again that I feel extremely blessed to be a part of such a wonderful parish, which provides beautiful, content-rich and divinely inspiring liturgical music that often moves me to tears. Thanks be to God!