The Second Sunday of Lent Highlights

Fr. Mike shared an interesting truth with us this weekend about horses, and it had everything to do with the Gospel, and our Lenten journey.  He told us that in a recent conversation he had learned that when you are riding in competition that it is extremely important that as you approach a jump, you should not look down.  If you look down, you will communicate to the horse your fear and insecurity and they will then feel fear and insecurity, likely resulting in a terrible fall for both of you...

Strangely, for me, this was exactly where I was this Saturday.  I knew that in a scant 13 hours, the choir and I would be speaking at Timely Topics (St. Richard's Adult Sunday School) about the Rome trip, and I was frankly frightened that I would fail the choir, we'd embarrass ourselves, no one would come, etc., and as I metaphorically tumbled horse, choir, me, and all headfirst into fear and anxiety, it was nice to have that visual image:  don't look down.

That having been said, it was still difficult to settle my thoughts and concentrate on Mass.  There was plenty of silence, so it should not have been as difficult as it seemed to me, but I kept having to shove the worries about Rome out of my mind and force myself back to listening and absorbing the Word.

Those silences are pervasive at this time of year in St. R's, and I will never get used to not singing the great hymns of Lent.  I treasure silence, and it is a good way to focus during Lent, but entering and leaving the church without music at Mass during Lent, a season I identify through its beautiful Dorian mode hymns and pensive tones is still quite jarring to my sensibilities.  Nevertheless, we entered in silence, sang the Kyrie Eleison, and Mass began. 

At Offertory, we sang a Bach piece entitled "Rejoice, O My Spirit."  The text is as follows:

Rejoice, O My Spirit: Aria from Cantata No. 15

J.S. Bach, arr. J. Easson

available through G. Schirmer, Inc. #10319

Rejoice, O my spirit, be comforted now,

From Death by thy Savior, redeemed art thou, 

redeemed art thou.

The fury of Hell and of Satan is past,

No more his dark shadows can Death o'er us cast.

Against all defiance thus shall I stand fast,

Against all defiance thus shall I stand fast.

Rejoice, O my spirit, and sing with full heart,

To worship thy Savior, redeemed thou art,

redeemed thou art.

Now glory is filling the whole world with light,

The sun is full risen, there is no more night,

For God is among us in pow'r and in might,

For God is among us in pow'r and in might.

Video of the Choir singing Rejoice, O My Spirit at Mass:

Then, later at Communion, we sang Palestrina's Adoramus te, which is a favorite for Holy Week from the St. Gregory Hymnal.  The text is as follows:

Adoramus te

G.P. da Palestrina, ed. by N.A.M.

Adoramus te Christe:
et benedicimus tibi;
quia per sanctam crucem tuam
redemisti mundum;
qui passus es pro nobis;
Domine, Domine, miserere nobis.

Translation:

We adore You, O Christ,

and we bless You,
because by your holy cross
You have redeemed the world;
who suffered for us,
O Lord, O Lord, have mercy on us.

Video of the choir singing Adoramus te:



So, why did I break my usual stalwart policy of not recording the choir at Mass?  Because we were to sing Adoramus te with the organ, which is a first for us.  When you rehearse exclusively with piano, you get piano dependant, and your sound struggles against the percussive nature of the instrument.  Singing a piece as demanding as Adoramus te with the organ, without ever being able to practice WITH said organ was a challenge, to say the least, but the piece demanded it and I was gratified that my little rag tag army did as well as they did with it.  Good work guys on a very very difficult but beautiful offering at Mass. 

And then...it continued...(see next post on February 28th)