Thank you, Father Brady!!
This is Palm Sunday, the day the church reads the long, long Passion Gospel in quasi-dramatic form, with all the words assigned to different speakers, and even the congregation getting into the act with fun lines like "Crucify him!" Unfortunately, though, the gospel takes a long time (did I mention it was a long, long gospel?). That, coupled with the added time commitments from the blessing of the palms and the palm procession with everyone singing the traditional hymn, "All Glory Laud and Honor," meant it was 11:40 by the time the gospel was over instead of the usual 11:20-25. :(
But then Fr. Brady came to our rescue, with a record one minute homily! We just love Fr. Brady! And, to think, he's a lawyer, too! LOL
Hymns today included a "Hosanna to the Son of David" antiphon written by the organist/choirmaster for the palm blessings and the asperging of the people, the aforementioned St. Theodulph for the palm procession, Morning Song for the offertory, Jerry Brubaker's "O blessed Savior now behold" for communion, and Wondrous Love for the recessional. The Mass setting was from Hughes' Mass of the Divine Word.
I was excited to hear the choir do a nice anthem during the offertory today. They sang "Solus ad victimam" by 20th century composer Kenneth Leighton, and it was very nice. They also did a beautiful Agnus dei from the Missa in Simplicitate by Jean Langlais, and for post-communion ablutions did Anton Bruckner's "Christus Factus Est" (which has the unfortunate quality of repeating the last line over and over and over and over and over and over again until we begin to despair that the choir will ever stop singing so the priest can finish the Mass).
It's Holy Week now. That can be both good and bad.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Erin go bragh
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
No, I'm not jumping the gun. Monday, the 17th, is in Holy Week (Sunday is Palm Sunday, remember?), and the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments always transfers the feast day when the 17th falls in Holy Week. The last time it happened was around 1940 and it won't happen again until 2160. The U.S. Conference of Bishops sent out a letter saying the feast was transferred to the 14th. Some people have decided to observe it on Saturday the 15th, and that is permissible as well (though I don't think you're supposed to have a two day-long green beer drunk!).
I wore my green today. Did you?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Qui bene cantat bis orat
Your hands, O Lord in days of old
Were strong to heal and save;
To you they went, the blind, the mute,
The sick and those in shame.
And then your touch brought life and health,
In ev'ry troubled friend.
That whole and sick, and weak and strong,
May praise you evermore.
Sometimes I go to church and it becomes obvious to me that Someone knows what is troubling me, knows what is going on in my life right then. Yesterday I slipped into my pew to pray before Mass with a long litany of friends and loved ones in need of prayer—even lit a candle for two of them—and then the organ started playing the opening hymn. Above, I've condensed all the verses of that hymn into one verse, but you can see how so many things in that longer song are right on point.....the sick and those in shame.....ev'ry troubled friend.....weak and strong.....and it reminds us how we all have the comfort of our Lord and Savior to get us through trying times. We aren't the first people to have problems and challenges, and, like those who have gone before us, we will find that things really aren't that bad and we will survive and prosper with the strength, love, and spiritual grace we get from God.
I went to the early service at St. Stephen's, so it was a cantored Mass without choir. The hymns included the aforementioned opening song sung to Forest Green; the offertory was Kingsfold and the recessional was In Babilone. For the communion procession, the cantoress and organist sang a tune (it was supposed to be a congregational responsorial hymn, but you have read my thoughts and experiences on that in previous posts) written by the organist with the antiphon words "Those who eat your flesh and drink your blood live in you and you in them, and you will raise them up on the last day."
The Mass setting was the usual Lenten mix of Gregorian chant and the Mass of the Divine Word. Too bad the choir wasn't there; I saw in the program they at the eleven they were going to be singing Purcell's "Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts" during communion.
In Enarratio in Psalmum, Saint Augustine wrote about singing to God, saying:
Qui enim cantat laudem, non solum laudat, sed etiam hilariter laudat; qui cantat laudem, non solum cantat, sed et amat eum quem cantat.Now, forgive my rusty Latin, but I think this will translate into something along the lines of "He who truly sings praise, not only praises, but also joyously praises; he who sings praise, not only sings, but also loves the One about whom he is singing." This concept has been condensed to (now often erroneously attributed to St. Augustine) "Qui bene cantat bis orat"—he who sings well prays twice. It's a bit of a mistranslation of Augustine, but prayer and love are often the same thing.
Music is always an important part of the worship experience for me. That point is made all the clearer to me on days such as yesterday, when we pray twice with our singing, or perhaps we love God twice with our singing. My loved ones are still in my prayers, but I feel better knowing that we all have prayed for them in our song and that the grace and love of our Lord is freely there to comfort them and to comfort us all.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Moses on Drugs
MSNBC reports today that Moses was under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs when he talked to the burning bush and when he talked to God to get the Ten Commandments.
That would make the entire basis of Judeo-Christian ethics and law just another drug high.
_________________________
Was Moses high on Mount Sinai?
Study claims he was high when he brought down the Ten Commandments
MSNBC News Services
JERUSALEM - When Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai, he may have been high on a hallucinogenic plant, according to a new study by an Israeli psychology professor.
Writing in the British journal Time and Mind, Benny Shanon of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University said two plants in the Sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.
The thunder, lightning and blaring of a trumpet which the Book of Exodus says emanated from Mount Sinai could just have been the imaginings of a people in an “altered state of awareness,” Shanon hypothesized.
“In advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings,” Shanon wrote.
“On such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all Being ... many identify this power as God.”
Shanon wrote that he was very familiar with the affects of the ayahuasca plant, having “partaken of the ... brew about 160 times in various locales and contexts.”
He said one of the psychoactive plants, harmal, found in the Sinai and elsewhere in the Middle East, has long been regarded by Jews in the region as having magical and curative powers.
Some biblical scholars were unimpressed. Orthodox rabbi Yuval Sherlow told Israel Radio: “The Bible is trying to convey a very profound event. We have to fear not for the fate of the biblical Moses, but for the fate of science.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
That would make the entire basis of Judeo-Christian ethics and law just another drug high.
_________________________
Was Moses high on Mount Sinai?
Study claims he was high when he brought down the Ten Commandments
MSNBC News Services
JERUSALEM - When Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai, he may have been high on a hallucinogenic plant, according to a new study by an Israeli psychology professor.
Writing in the British journal Time and Mind, Benny Shanon of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University said two plants in the Sinai desert contain the same psychoactive molecules as those found in plants from which the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca is prepared.
The thunder, lightning and blaring of a trumpet which the Book of Exodus says emanated from Mount Sinai could just have been the imaginings of a people in an “altered state of awareness,” Shanon hypothesized.
“In advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings,” Shanon wrote.
“On such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all Being ... many identify this power as God.”
Shanon wrote that he was very familiar with the affects of the ayahuasca plant, having “partaken of the ... brew about 160 times in various locales and contexts.”
He said one of the psychoactive plants, harmal, found in the Sinai and elsewhere in the Middle East, has long been regarded by Jews in the region as having magical and curative powers.
Some biblical scholars were unimpressed. Orthodox rabbi Yuval Sherlow told Israel Radio: “The Bible is trying to convey a very profound event. We have to fear not for the fate of the biblical Moses, but for the fate of science.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Pink Sunday
This is Laetarie Sunday, one of two days in the church's liturgical year when the priests wear pink clothes. Laurent and I went to St. Stephen's this morning, Laurent in a pink Polo and me in a pink tie. The good monsignor was in a pink chasuble with gold orpheries, but the chasuble must have been child-sized, since it was a good foot or more too short for him.
We learned in his homily that monsignor eats an egg sandwich every morning for breakfast.
Hymns today were Restoration (Come, you sinners, poor and needy) for the processional, Duke Street (Take up your cross) for the offertory, "You satisfy the hungry heart" for communion and Wer nur den lieben Gott (If thou but trust in God) for the recessional. The organist had a great deal of fun with the processional and recessional hymns, improvising a lot between verses, and it was wonderfully dark and mysterious. He really is quite skilled at improvisation.
For the Mass setting, they did Howard Hughes' Mass of the Divine Word during the consecration, with Gregorian chant for the Kyrie extended with Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera and the choir sang alone for the Agnus Dei from the 16th century John Taverner's Short Mass for Three Voices.
During post-communion ablutions, the choir sang Bach's O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht.
We learned in his homily that monsignor eats an egg sandwich every morning for breakfast.
Hymns today were Restoration (Come, you sinners, poor and needy) for the processional, Duke Street (Take up your cross) for the offertory, "You satisfy the hungry heart" for communion and Wer nur den lieben Gott (If thou but trust in God) for the recessional. The organist had a great deal of fun with the processional and recessional hymns, improvising a lot between verses, and it was wonderfully dark and mysterious. He really is quite skilled at improvisation.
For the Mass setting, they did Howard Hughes' Mass of the Divine Word during the consecration, with Gregorian chant for the Kyrie extended with Palestrina's Missa Aeterna Christi Munera and the choir sang alone for the Agnus Dei from the 16th century John Taverner's Short Mass for Three Voices.
During post-communion ablutions, the choir sang Bach's O Jesu Christ, mein's Lebens Licht.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thirsting for God
It's that time of Lent when we get all the Bible readings about thirsting for God, drinking from the well of Christ, the spring of eternal life, etc., etc.
Right now, there are several people I know who are desperately in need of guidance and focus in their life, and yet, today's readings bring to me mind the old adage that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I'm not much of an evangelist. I can bring these people to church, I can try to talk to them about sacramental grace, but the leap of faith is up to them. I can't make them get out of bed before noon. I can't make them find the spark. I can't make them open a door and fill their heart with Jesus. I'll just have to keep praying for them, praying that they find peace and happiness, and leave the rest up to God.
Nevertheless, today is the Third Sunday of Lent at St. Stephen's. I had tried to talk a couple of friends into going to other, more "exotic" places, but nobody was really interested (I think it was the earlier hours). It's probably just as well, since I needed to hand in my name at the local parish to try to get a ticket to the papal Mass at the baseball stadium next month.
Hymns today were Passion Chorale for the processional, Kingsfold for the offertory, and In Babilone for the recessional. The choir essentially soloed for the communion marching music responsorial song with a "Taste and see" antiphon by Russell Woollen. They should have cut the communion song. The choir did a really nice motet, Nacket bin ich vom Mutterleibe kommen by Heinrich Schütz, that very nicely fit the Lenten mood during communion, but it was a bit long, and since they always attempt the responsorial ditty first, we ended up having to sit and wait rather impatiently for the choir to finish the motet after all the communion things were washed and put away and the priest sat down to wait.
Oh, the choir did another fun thing. It's been their tradition during Lent to have the cantoress lead the congregation in a Gregorian chant setting of the Kyrie, phrase by phrase, and then have the choir "extend" the phrase with the work of a major composer. Today, they did the Kyrie from Vincent Persichetti's 1960 Mass, Op. 84, and it was wonderful! Persichetti was a composition professor at Juilliard for years before his death about twenty years ago, and his students included people like Philip Glass, Peter Schickele ("P.D.Q. Bach"), and Thelonious Monk. This Mass is deliciously modern in the Phrygian mode with quartal harmony, yet it is surprisingly singable and comforting for a "modern" work. I would love to hear the choir do the whole Mass setting.
Now I have to check my closet and see if I can find a pink sweater or shirt to wear to Mass next weekend, since it'll be Laetare Sunday. Well, I guess technically I'm looking for "rose" but pink, rose, whatever, they look about the same. LOL
Right now, there are several people I know who are desperately in need of guidance and focus in their life, and yet, today's readings bring to me mind the old adage that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I'm not much of an evangelist. I can bring these people to church, I can try to talk to them about sacramental grace, but the leap of faith is up to them. I can't make them get out of bed before noon. I can't make them find the spark. I can't make them open a door and fill their heart with Jesus. I'll just have to keep praying for them, praying that they find peace and happiness, and leave the rest up to God.
Nevertheless, today is the Third Sunday of Lent at St. Stephen's. I had tried to talk a couple of friends into going to other, more "exotic" places, but nobody was really interested (I think it was the earlier hours). It's probably just as well, since I needed to hand in my name at the local parish to try to get a ticket to the papal Mass at the baseball stadium next month.
Hymns today were Passion Chorale for the processional, Kingsfold for the offertory, and In Babilone for the recessional. The choir essentially soloed for the communion marching music responsorial song with a "Taste and see" antiphon by Russell Woollen. They should have cut the communion song. The choir did a really nice motet, Nacket bin ich vom Mutterleibe kommen by Heinrich Schütz, that very nicely fit the Lenten mood during communion, but it was a bit long, and since they always attempt the responsorial ditty first, we ended up having to sit and wait rather impatiently for the choir to finish the motet after all the communion things were washed and put away and the priest sat down to wait.
Oh, the choir did another fun thing. It's been their tradition during Lent to have the cantoress lead the congregation in a Gregorian chant setting of the Kyrie, phrase by phrase, and then have the choir "extend" the phrase with the work of a major composer. Today, they did the Kyrie from Vincent Persichetti's 1960 Mass, Op. 84, and it was wonderful! Persichetti was a composition professor at Juilliard for years before his death about twenty years ago, and his students included people like Philip Glass, Peter Schickele ("P.D.Q. Bach"), and Thelonious Monk. This Mass is deliciously modern in the Phrygian mode with quartal harmony, yet it is surprisingly singable and comforting for a "modern" work. I would love to hear the choir do the whole Mass setting.
Now I have to check my closet and see if I can find a pink sweater or shirt to wear to Mass next weekend, since it'll be Laetare Sunday. Well, I guess technically I'm looking for "rose" but pink, rose, whatever, they look about the same. LOL
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Pointy hat
Walking up to church at St. Stephen's this morning, I noticed a little sign taped to the marquee announcing that the archbishop was going to be at the service today and I almost turned around and went home. Nothing against the archbishop, but you know how, when pointy-hats are in church, things can get long and boring really quickly. It wasn't that bad, though, and His Excellency only preached for eleven minutes.
Hymns this morning were Swabia ('Tis good, Lord, to be here) for the processional (the organist had to improvise between verses to extend the hymn), Jesu dulci memoria (O Sun of justice, Jesus Christ) for the offertory, Willcock's "The Lord is my light and my salvation" responsorial ditty for communion, and St. Flavian (Lord, who throughout these forty days) for the recessional. Mass setting for the Sanctus, Benedictus, Memorial Acclamation, and Great Amen was Hughes' Mass of the Divine Word, with Gregorian chant for the Kyrie, Intercessions, Our Father, and Agnus Dei. The choir extended the Kyrie with the 16th century John Taverner's Mass for Three Voices. They used the usual parish Russian chant for the Confiteor and the Gouzes Non sum dignus.
During the post-communion ablutions, the choir did a lovely job singing Richard Farrant's "Lord, for Thy Tender Mercy's Sake" and Henry Purcell's "Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts." They always sound so good when they sing traditional Anglican literature.
The service was a pontifical high Mass (or at least as pontifical as things get outside the cathedral in these dreary post-Vatican II days), but the Abp. as celebrant didn't chant as many of the prayers as the parish traditionally chants on a regular basis. Thankfully, the service didn't last any longer than it usually does on normal Sunday mornings.
Hymns this morning were Swabia ('Tis good, Lord, to be here) for the processional (the organist had to improvise between verses to extend the hymn), Jesu dulci memoria (O Sun of justice, Jesus Christ) for the offertory, Willcock's "The Lord is my light and my salvation" responsorial ditty for communion, and St. Flavian (Lord, who throughout these forty days) for the recessional. Mass setting for the Sanctus, Benedictus, Memorial Acclamation, and Great Amen was Hughes' Mass of the Divine Word, with Gregorian chant for the Kyrie, Intercessions, Our Father, and Agnus Dei. The choir extended the Kyrie with the 16th century John Taverner's Mass for Three Voices. They used the usual parish Russian chant for the Confiteor and the Gouzes Non sum dignus.
During the post-communion ablutions, the choir did a lovely job singing Richard Farrant's "Lord, for Thy Tender Mercy's Sake" and Henry Purcell's "Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of Our Hearts." They always sound so good when they sing traditional Anglican literature.
The service was a pontifical high Mass (or at least as pontifical as things get outside the cathedral in these dreary post-Vatican II days), but the Abp. as celebrant didn't chant as many of the prayers as the parish traditionally chants on a regular basis. Thankfully, the service didn't last any longer than it usually does on normal Sunday mornings.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Bishop quotes Jesus as he backs same-sex relationships
Bishop quotes Jesus as he backs same-sex relationships
By Nicola Boden
DAILY MAIL
©2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd
A senior bishop appears to have performed a complete U-turn by suggesting the Bible might sanction same-sex relationships.
Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, claims in a new book that the bond between Jesus and John the Disciple, as well between David and Jonathan, are possible examples of close relationships between two men.
The conservative evangelical's comments are all the more remarkable given his vehement opposition to the appointment of gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John to Bishop of Reading in 2003.
He was one of a group of bishops who wrote a letter of objection at the gay man's selection for the high-profile role, leading to him ultimately turning down the post.
In the book, A Fallible Church, Bishop Jones calls for Anglicans to "acknowledge the authoritative biblical examples of love between two people of the same gender most notably in the relationship of Jesus and his beloved [John] and David and Jonathan."
Referring to the Theology of Friendship report, he discusses John "leaning against the bosom, breast, chest of Jesus".
The Bishop also describes an "emotional, spiritual and even physical friendship" between David and Jonathan, who appear in the Old Testament books of Samuel.
When Jonathan, the son of Saul, King of Israel, first meets David after he slays Goliath against the odds, the Bible describes him as being immediately struck by the young man.
It reads: "And it came to pass, when he [David] had made an end to speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him with his own soul."
The Bishop asks: "Was their friendship sexual? Were they gay? Was at least one of them homosexual? Were they both heterosexual? Were they bisexual?"
Answering his own question, he then writes: "You assume that it is a person's sexual inclination that defines their personhood. Is it not possible to say that here are two men with the capacity to love fully, both men and women?"
Gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John was controversially selected to be Bishop of Reading in 2003. The Bishop of Liverpool and seven others opposed his appointment and he stood down
In the article, entitled "Making Space for Truth and Grace," the Bishop of Liverpool also apologises to Dr John for opposing his appointment to Bishop of Reading more than four years ago.
The gay cleric turned down the job due to the furore but later caused more controversy when he became Dean of St Albans in 2004 and "married" his partner of 30 years in a civil ceremony in 2006.
Bishop Jones writes: "I deeply regret this episode in our common life.
"I still believe it was unwise to try to take us to a place that evidently did not command the broad support of the Church of England but I am sorry for the way I opposed it and I am sorry too for adding to the pain and distress of Dr John and his partner."
Fellow clerics regard his latest comments as the mark of a distinct change in his views on homosexuality.
Dr Mike Homfray, who withdrew from the Anglican church because of perceived homophobia, said it was a "most profound shift".
He said: "I think Bishop Jones is saying he is now more able to live with difference and diversity and that it is necessary to keep the issue open and allow continued dialogue.
"Unless he was open to the possibility of embracing change, then he wouldn't be suggesting this as a way forward. That doesn't mean he necessarily fully embraces it himself, though. Not yet anyway, but he has moved."
Of David and Jonathan, Dr Homfray added: "They may have had sexual contact - but that doesn't make them 'gay' in a Western sense. No-one in the Bible can have that lable because it is a term with all sorts of social and cultural meanings."
The diocese of Liverpool said in a statement: "The Bishop's essay is asking us to find a new and more open way forward that doesn't compromise people's convictions, respects conscience and understands people's hurts and vulnerabilities in this debate.
"He is making a plea for continued debate in which there is both truth and grace."
By Nicola Boden
DAILY MAIL
©2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd
A senior bishop appears to have performed a complete U-turn by suggesting the Bible might sanction same-sex relationships.
Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones, claims in a new book that the bond between Jesus and John the Disciple, as well between David and Jonathan, are possible examples of close relationships between two men.
The conservative evangelical's comments are all the more remarkable given his vehement opposition to the appointment of gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John to Bishop of Reading in 2003.
He was one of a group of bishops who wrote a letter of objection at the gay man's selection for the high-profile role, leading to him ultimately turning down the post.
In the book, A Fallible Church, Bishop Jones calls for Anglicans to "acknowledge the authoritative biblical examples of love between two people of the same gender most notably in the relationship of Jesus and his beloved [John] and David and Jonathan."
Referring to the Theology of Friendship report, he discusses John "leaning against the bosom, breast, chest of Jesus".
The Bishop also describes an "emotional, spiritual and even physical friendship" between David and Jonathan, who appear in the Old Testament books of Samuel.
When Jonathan, the son of Saul, King of Israel, first meets David after he slays Goliath against the odds, the Bible describes him as being immediately struck by the young man.
It reads: "And it came to pass, when he [David] had made an end to speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him with his own soul."
The Bishop asks: "Was their friendship sexual? Were they gay? Was at least one of them homosexual? Were they both heterosexual? Were they bisexual?"
Answering his own question, he then writes: "You assume that it is a person's sexual inclination that defines their personhood. Is it not possible to say that here are two men with the capacity to love fully, both men and women?"
Gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John was controversially selected to be Bishop of Reading in 2003. The Bishop of Liverpool and seven others opposed his appointment and he stood down
In the article, entitled "Making Space for Truth and Grace," the Bishop of Liverpool also apologises to Dr John for opposing his appointment to Bishop of Reading more than four years ago.
The gay cleric turned down the job due to the furore but later caused more controversy when he became Dean of St Albans in 2004 and "married" his partner of 30 years in a civil ceremony in 2006.
Bishop Jones writes: "I deeply regret this episode in our common life.
"I still believe it was unwise to try to take us to a place that evidently did not command the broad support of the Church of England but I am sorry for the way I opposed it and I am sorry too for adding to the pain and distress of Dr John and his partner."
Fellow clerics regard his latest comments as the mark of a distinct change in his views on homosexuality.
Dr Mike Homfray, who withdrew from the Anglican church because of perceived homophobia, said it was a "most profound shift".
He said: "I think Bishop Jones is saying he is now more able to live with difference and diversity and that it is necessary to keep the issue open and allow continued dialogue.
"Unless he was open to the possibility of embracing change, then he wouldn't be suggesting this as a way forward. That doesn't mean he necessarily fully embraces it himself, though. Not yet anyway, but he has moved."
Of David and Jonathan, Dr Homfray added: "They may have had sexual contact - but that doesn't make them 'gay' in a Western sense. No-one in the Bible can have that lable because it is a term with all sorts of social and cultural meanings."
The diocese of Liverpool said in a statement: "The Bishop's essay is asking us to find a new and more open way forward that doesn't compromise people's convictions, respects conscience and understands people's hurts and vulnerabilities in this debate.
"He is making a plea for continued debate in which there is both truth and grace."
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Shrove Tuesday
Today is Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras.
This is the last day to celebrate before the Christian season of Lent, which starts tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Traditionally on this day, foods are eaten that use up all the fat, butter, milk, eggs, and sugar ("rich" ingredients) in the larder, since Lent is a period of fasting and abstinence. These foods include doughnuts or fried dumplings in the Mardi Gras/French tradition or pancakes in the Shrove Tuesday/British tradition.
Who wants to go eat pancakes today?
This is the last day to celebrate before the Christian season of Lent, which starts tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. Traditionally on this day, foods are eaten that use up all the fat, butter, milk, eggs, and sugar ("rich" ingredients) in the larder, since Lent is a period of fasting and abstinence. These foods include doughnuts or fried dumplings in the Mardi Gras/French tradition or pancakes in the Shrove Tuesday/British tradition.
Who wants to go eat pancakes today?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Saving throats
What with my need to be at the Verizon Center for the Wizards-Lakers basketball game by 11:30 Sunday morning, I opted to go to the 5:30 service at St. Stephen's. Attendance was light (about 2/3rds usual) due to the upcoming Super Bowling performance on television. I always wonder if the absentees for football actually made the effort to go to Mass in the morning, or if football needs to be added to the ever-growing list of Catholic mortal sins.
The 5:30 Mass is a capella with a cantoress. They do Gregorian chant Latin versions of the Mass setting. Hymns were Darnall's 148th (To God with gladness sing) for the processional, Wareham (O Jesus, joy of loving hearts) for the offertory, and Slane (Christ be my leader) for the recessional. They attempted a responsorial ditty during communion that no one in the congregation sang with the antiphon "I received the living God."
The highlight of Mass was actually after Mass, when they did the annual Blessing of Throats in honor of the patron saint of throats, Saint Blaise. After the service, those who wished could come up to the altar rail where the priest stood with crossed candles to touch the throats of the faithful and pronounce the throat blessing. Too bad all those football fanatics weren't there.....with all the yelling and screaming they were about to do, they, above all people, were in need of protected throats!
Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii liberet te Deus a malo gutteris et a quovis alio malo. Amen.
The 5:30 Mass is a capella with a cantoress. They do Gregorian chant Latin versions of the Mass setting. Hymns were Darnall's 148th (To God with gladness sing) for the processional, Wareham (O Jesus, joy of loving hearts) for the offertory, and Slane (Christ be my leader) for the recessional. They attempted a responsorial ditty during communion that no one in the congregation sang with the antiphon "I received the living God."
The highlight of Mass was actually after Mass, when they did the annual Blessing of Throats in honor of the patron saint of throats, Saint Blaise. After the service, those who wished could come up to the altar rail where the priest stood with crossed candles to touch the throats of the faithful and pronounce the throat blessing. Too bad all those football fanatics weren't there.....with all the yelling and screaming they were about to do, they, above all people, were in need of protected throats!
Per intercessionem Sancti Blasii liberet te Deus a malo gutteris et a quovis alio malo. Amen.
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