I myself am a bit of a musical guy, so it is not infrequent that a song will get stuck in my head, rummage around in there all day, and at various points in the day I will find myself singing it aloud without really realizing it. This happened the other day, and as I began to sing aloud, there it was. That forbidden A-word. I quickly stopped myself and gasped, "Uh! Nope!" Sure enough, my neighbor next-door began laughing and a guy three doors down yelled at me, "Sinner!"
Last night, I found myself writing and reviewing my homily for Special Occasions Preaching class. For the current assignment, we pick one of the rites from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and preach on the occasion. I have opted to preach on the Easter Vigil. As part of this, I am currently planning on utilizing the Exsultet, the wonderful proclamation of Christ's Resurrection from the dead near the beginning of the Easter Vigil. As I was considering it tonight, I once again found myself moved to singing aloud. It dawned on me that I probably ought not get too carried away with the song - I ought to let the season of Lent provide the overriding movements and dispositions for my soul.
I wonder how many priests and parish liturgists find themselves in this predicament. I have heard that some priests work for weeks, if not months, on their Christmas and Easter homilies. Parish liturgists and musicians have to begin planning and preparing for Easter just as Lent is beginning! It makes me think of the sometimes too cliché, "already but not yet." How true. But, I suppose I had better get used to it. It is another opportunity for me to find integration in all the various details of this vocation that I am accepting. How am I to maintain the spirit of Lent when I must repeatedly be about the details of Easter?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Alle-hmm-hmm...
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5 comments:
Greg really hit the mark with this post. Lent does create a longing, a want for Easter. In addition to missing the Alle-word that Greg wrote of, I know that I personally miss the Gloria at Mass. I remember, during my junior year of college, a good friend of mine asked me how my Easter break had been. I responded - surprising even myself - that "It was so great to hear the Gloria again."
Longing for Easter.
THE GLORIA IS IN MASSES DURING LENT
FEASTS AND SOLEMNITIES TOMORROW
THE GREAT FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST PETER---ALL WE GET ---FURNITURE
THE EXULTET---FOCUS ON O HAPPY FAULT O NECESSARY SIN OF ADAM
TO SEND SUCH A REDEEMER
THAT IS MY FAVORITE PART
Anonymous, you're right, the Gloria is utilized on the solemnities and feasts during Lent. Nonetheless, the point is quite valid for those who may not (now or in the past) attend Mass on these feasts.
I have always been somewhat confounded by the fact that we celebrate furniture--the Chair of Peter. But, we celebrate buildings, etc..., why not a chair? It goes without saying that we're obviously celebrating something which these inanimate/material things represent.
Though I would agree that indeed Christ being our redeemer to resolve the issue of that felix culpa, I ended up using the part which says, "Of this night, Scripture says..." because I was figuring I would have a baptism that evening and found that passage spoke directly to the effects of baptism:
* "dispels all evil"
* "washes guilt away"
* "restores lost innocence"
* "brings mourners joy"
+
In answer to your last question: It becomes easier. Regarding the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter - I wager anyone who has visited Bernini's magnificent surround and realizes the beautiful gift we have in the Papacy can fail to regard it as one of the calendar's most reasonably beloved Feasts.
In Pace Christi.
the comment about 'all we get is furniture'---most saints have a regular feast day--the Prince of Apostles shares a day with Paul---then Peter gets furniture---there are two feasts--jan 18 the Chair of St Peter at Rome---feb 22 the Chair of St Peter at Antioch
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