Friday, September 19, 2014

The time of walking with Christ - Ordinary Time in the Church Year

September…October…November….The readings and the Gospel lead us into a deeper understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We are told over and over that love is the binding force of all of our lives, and the most important law. A good example is September 7th "Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law". (Romans 13:8. Or….September 28 "Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory: rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves…(Philippians 2:4)

The gospels begin to describe the Kingdom of Heaven as A Vineyard (Oct. 5); A wedding feast (Oct. 12);and we hear The Beatitudes (Nov. 1), and at the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Nov. 23), Christ judges us at Judgement Day on whether we live the Beatitudes in our lives.

This is a beautiful time of year outwardly with the Autumn colors and crisp temperatures, and inwardly with the Church's focus of how to live the Christian life of love.

THE CHOIR is fully active now and sounding wonderful. This ministry is one of love. The music is not performance, but rather a participation in the ministry of music as leader of song, and as prayerful beauty. We have 20 choir members at this time, but still have 7 choir chairs in the sanctuary with no one to fill them.

There is a wonderful little book called "Catholic Choir Member" by Lawrence J. Johnson that I would like to quote: "The members of a choir form one of the numerous communities that make up the contemporary parish. As a community, these members rely upon one another for psychological and musical support. Singing together allows us to enjoy one another's company and to experience the love and friendship of other pilgrims who join us on our journey with Jesus through life."

And one more quote: "Among the numerous services or ministries that make the assembly possible is that of the choir. A choir, whether its members be few or numerous, whether its musical talents be abundant or modest, exists for one purpose. Unlike the school community, or symphony chorus which is a performance organization, the liturgical choir serves the people who have come together for prayer. More specifically, the choir serves this people's sung prayer."

THE CANTOR ministry is looking for singers who could proclaim the responsorial psalm in song, and lead the music at the 8AM Mass particularly. Is there anyone out there who is not a cantor right now, but would like to commit to once a month cantering at the 8AM Mass?

THE GUITAR GROUP is a beautiful ministry of guitarists and singers once a month and for special occasions such as "Mass In The Grass". Thank you to Al Olry for leadership in this group. He works hard to organize the preparation necessary to bring a group together to lead music at Mass.

WE HAVE two flautists who bring their gift to music at Mass: Stacy Baker, and Laura Dailey. Thank you to both of them! Do you play an instrument? We could use violin, cello, and at this time approaching Christmas….trumpet.

CHOIR OF HOPE: Open to new members to join. This choir sings for funerals…a very important music ministry of comfort for those who have lost a loved one. If you are interested, contact me.

Blessings to all who labor in the vineyard!