From a classmate...
I could not have said it better than this and, indeed, I have been thinking along the same lines.
The Liturgy: July 2005 Archives
From Don Marco:
Canticle 3:1-4b
Psalm 62: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
John 20: 1-2, 11-18
July 22, 2005
Monastery of the Glorious Cross, O.S.B.
Branford, Connecticut
Woman of fire,
woman of desire,
woman of great passions
woman of the lavish gesture,
Mary of Magdala!
The icons show you robed in red,
covered in the blood of the Lamb,
a living flame, a soul set afire.
You are there at the foot of the Cross:
kneeling, bending low, crushed by sorrow,
your face in the dust.
You love,
but in that hour of darkness,
dare not look on the disfigured Face of Love.
It is enough that you are there,
brought low with him,
Enough for you
the Blood dripping from his wounded feet,
Blood seeping into the earth
to mingle with your tears.
You seek him on your bed at night,
Him whom your heart loves.
David’s song is on your lips:
“Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face.
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not your face from me” (Ps 26:8-9).
His silence speaks.
His absence is a presence.
And so you rise to go about the city,
drawn out, drawn on by Love’s lingering fragrance.
“Draw me, we will run after you, in the odour of your ointments” (Ct 1:3).
You seek Him by night
in the streets and broadways;
you seek Him whom your soul loves;
with nought but your heart’s desire for compass.
You seek Him but do not find him.
In this, Mary, you are friend to every seeker.
In this you are a sister to every lover.
In this you are close to us who walk in darkness
and wait in the shadows,
and ask of every watchman,
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
Guide us, Mary, to the garden of new beginnings.
Let us follow you in the night.
Wake our souls before the rising of the sun.
Weep that we may weep
and in weeping become penetrable to joy.
The Gardener waits,
the earth beneath his feet watered by your tears.
Turn, Mary, that with you we may turn
and, being converted,
behold his Face
and hear his voice
and, like you, be sent to say only this:
“I have seen the Lord” (Jn 20:18).
It is time. I have been thinking about this for a while, so must do it while the iron is hot. With all the musical experience I have, especially the last two summers sitting literally at the feet of one of the great modern masters, I propose to begin a west coast version of Fr. Heiman's Schola Speciale. We shall study the Messine neums in the Graduale Triplex and sing them accordingly. This will not be an academic exercise, per se. The purpose is to learn to pray these chants in the liturgy.
Gregorian Chant is supposed to have pride of place in the Liturgy. It seems a struggle just to provide it a place.
Anyway, five men are expected tonight to begin the enterprise. If there is sufficient interest we shall also begin one for women.
Ah, the choir today was absolutely fabulous. It is everthing that I had hoped for in the past year. More than just singing something at the liturgy, this time they brought life and excitement to the music throughout the entire mass.
They took a break from their summer vacation to come back and sing the Mass where we honored Fr. Steven Lopes on his new appoinment to the CDF. Our new music director is doing a fabulous job. All this time when wanting more from the choir, they had been led to believe I wanted less and even considered them unimportant. Nothing could be further from the truth. With Sam at the helm, there is a great deal of hope for the next choir year, and many of the choir members have expressed thanks and support for the new director.
It was only about 15 members from the choir, but they sounded better and larger than they had all year. The descants were well placed, and the choir involvement in the Gloria and in the Psalm brought a freshness and vitality to the Liturgy. The other two choir selections were beautifully executed and very prayerful. What a grace!
All Creatures of Our God and King
Kyrie Cum Jubilo
Melodic Gloria, James Chepponis
The Seed that Falls on Good Ground, Psalm 65 from the Gelineau Psalter
Paschal Alleluia, Tone VI with verse
Tu Es Sacerdos, Robert Kreutz
The Community Mass Acclamations and Agnus Dei, Proulx
In Memory of You/Ave Verum, Peloquin
Ave Verum Corpus, Saint-Saens
Holy, Holy, Holy
Zenit has the text of the Instrumentum Laboris for the Synod on the Eucharist on its site. This is the working document for the meeting. I found the section on Liturgical Music very supportive of recent moves we have made here at the parish in that area.
