Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Ordinary Time Isn't So Ordinary!

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated the weekend of January 10 and 11, is the last celebration in the Christmas Season. The Christmas decorations come down, and we enter into a pretty short period of time (this year) called Ordinary Time. Lent begins early, so ordinary time is from January 12 to February 17th.

Ordinary time isn't really so ordinary. The readings call us to reflect on what it means to follow Jesus in every aspect of our lives…sort of a retreat. In the scripture of these Sundays, you will hear Samuel say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." John the Baptist acclaims:"Behold, the Lamb of God". Jesus invites his disciples (and us): "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand." and "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

"We also celebrate the beautiful feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas Day) on February 2nd, and bless throats on the memorial of St. Blaise February 3rd. In the diocese of the USA, we observe a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22nd. During these dark days of January and early February, we ponder and grow in our Faith.

THE MUSIC OF THE ASSEMBLY

The Music of the Assembly is an important aspect of the prayer life of the church. When the assembly sings its prayer as one body, the individual members who are assembled are supported and grow in their individual prayer in powerful ways. For this reason, the documents of the church do not permit Sunday and Holyday liturgies to be without music, unless the reason is very urgent.

The leaders of the musical prayer of the assembly have special responsibilities. When they are acting in their leadership roles as choir, cantor or instrumentalists, they must be fully present to the assembly and fully in the embrace of prayer. All of what they do comes from God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit working through them.

However, the assembly is the primary "maker of music" and when you are present at Mass as one of the assembly, it is particularly important that you participate in the song of the assembly. Why? Because, as a member of the assembly, singing the prayer of the church, you are supporting one another. This is important to the liturgy of the church.

Here is a portion of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal for you to meditate upon and enjoy: 16. The celebration of Mass, as the action of Christ and of the People of God arrayed hierarchically, is the center of the whole of Christian life for the Church both universal and local, as well as for each of the faithful individually.[22]

For in it is found the high point both of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ and of the worship that the human race offers to the Father, adoring him through Christ, the Son of God, in the Holy Spirit.[23]

In it, moreover, during the course of the year, the mysteries of redemption are celebrated so as to be in some way made present.

[24] As to the other sacred actions and all the activities of the Christian life, these are bound up with it, flow from it, and are ordered to it.[25] 17. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the celebration of the Mass or the Lord’s Supper be so ordered that the sacred ministers and the faithful taking part in it, according to the state proper to each, may draw from it more abundantly[26] those fruits, to obtain which, Christ the Lord instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood and entrusted it as the memorial of his Passion and Resurrection to the Church, his beloved Bride.[27]

18. This will fittingly come about if, with due regard for the nature and other circumstances of each liturgical assembly, the entire celebration is arranged in such a way that it leads to a conscious, active, and full participation of the faithful, namely in body and in mind, a participation fervent with faith, hope, and charity, of the sort which is desired by the Church and which is required by the very nature of the celebration and to which the Christian people have a right and duty in virtue of their Baptism.[28]