Dr. Patrick Gorman on Liturgy

The Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Madion, Dr. Patrick Gorman, has written a very insightful and refreshing article on the Church's liturgical activity. Click here to read the article on the Diocesan Office of Worship blog "One Body, One Spirit." A standing link to this blog can also be found on the right-hand side of this page under Helpful Links. Thank you to Dr. Gorman for this refreshing perspective on the Church's liturgy!

A. Gregory Murray, O.S.B.

This past week at St. Andrew's we began learning a Gospel Acclamation setting that is new to this parish:


The setting was written by Dom A. (Anthony) Gregory Murray, an English Benedictine monk, organist and liturgist.

Murray was born in 1905 in London and began musical studies as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. He was a prodigious organist, receiving the highest level certification from the Royal College of Organists at the age of 17. In 1923 Murray became a Benedictine monk at Downside Abbey and would go on to play regular organ recitals broadcast across the country by the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC). He made extensive contributions to Roman Catholic liturgical music through his work in developing the 1939 Westminster Hymnal and composing A People's Mass around 1950.

Click here for more information on Dom Gregory Murray.

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Pikes Peak, Colorado)

Hymnody and Psalmody for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven - LAUDA ANIMA
Psalm 123 - Our eyes are fixed on the Lord - Suzanne Toolan
Lord, Whose Love In Humble Service - BEACH SPRING
Psalm 34 - Taste and see the goodness of the Lord - Michel Guimont
America the Beautiful - MATERNA

Lectionary Reflection
Today and for the next two Sundays, the Church’s readings present us with an opportunity to understand more deeply the nature of Christ – namely Who He is and what this means for our faith. For example, there are two names which we commonly hear attributed to Jesus Christ that contain in themselves a great depth of meaning. These titles are Son of God and Son of Man, and they are found very often throughout the Old and New Testaments to foreshadow His coming and describe His divinity and humanity.

The term Son of Man – filled as it is with very complex meanings – is used today to address the prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament. In this instance, it identifies the human nature of Ezekiel immediately before the Lord sent him to be a prophet to the Israelites. While prophets were messengers of God sent to proclaim His word and His will, they were chosen from from among the people, which meant that they were human:

"Son of Man, I am sending you to the Israelites…and whether they heed or resist – for they are a rebellious house – they shall know that a prophet has been among them."

As we will hear in the first reading today, Ezekiel was sent with a message from God in order to correct Israel’s rebellious ways. Even in the midst of this commission Ezekiel was warned that he might not be well-received by everyone. Such was the nature of many of the prophets.
In the Gospel reading, we encounter Jesus exercising His prophetic role: "When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished." Immediately, they were surprised at His teaching and seemed to make a "double-take" to verify that Jesus was this boy-from-the-neighborhood, "the carpenter, the Son of Mary." Since this passage from Mark’s Gospel does not include an explicit message from God the Father actually sending Christ, this becomes a moment of dramatic irony when we know something about Christ that those around Jesus had not yet come to understand – namely His divine nature.

The human nature of Christ is empasized today, as He teaches with authority, as one sent by God. This helps us to understand the role of a prophet and to recall our own baptism into Christ’s life, not only as priests (to santify the world with Christ) and kings (to rule with Christ in His heavenly kingdom), but also as prophets to proclaim with integrity the Truth of the Gospel, sent by God into a world that we know might not receive it.

Musical Remarks
On the national observance of July 4th as Independence Day, we celebrate the unique history of this country with a sense of great patriotism. One of the most obvious ways to honor our nation perhaps is by singing the national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. Nationalistic music such as this anthem allow us to pay tribute to our country, often beginning most events of our lives – from Major League Baseball games to High School Varsity sports events. In any setting, the music of the anthem is so intimately tied to the text that we would not dare to divorce the two; simply speaking the words "O say, can you see…" would not be able to express the spirit of the poem.

Within the repertoire of American Christian hymnody, there are certain nationalistic hymns that remind us of God’s blessings on this country. One such example today is America the Beautiful sung after Communion. In this text, we ponder the beauty of this land and give thanks to God for His continued guidance and for the gift of liberty. The poem was written by Katherine Lee Bates (1859-1929), an American songwriter. Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts and was the daughter of a Congregationalist pastor. She was an 1880 graduate from Wellesley College in Massachussetts, where she returned as professor of English literature for many years. In 1893, Bates spent the summer teaching English at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and it was there that she wrote the first draft of the America the Beautiful (the final expanded version written in 1913). She had the following to say:

"One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse."

The tune paired with this poem was written by Samuel Augustus Ward (1847-1903) of Newark, New Jersey. Ward studied music in New York and later became an organist at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark in 1880. He wrote the hymn tune Materna, (from the Medieval Latin word mater, meaning "mother") which would later be coupled with Bates' poem, though the two would never meet. Happy 4th of July!

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hymnody and Psalmody for the Thirteeneth Sunday in Ordinary Time
All Creatures of Our God and King - LASST UNS ERFREUEN
Psalm 30 - I will praise you, Lord - Calvin M. Bower
Beautiful Savior - ST. ELIZABETH
I Am the Bread of Life - Suzanne Toolan
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name - GROSSER GOTT

Lectionary Meditation
(Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Psalm 30 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15 Mark 5:21-43)

"God did not make death." These words introduce the passage from the book of Wisdom in the first reading today. Just the mere thought of this phrase provides for us a sense of comfort, does it not? In a world so beset by violence and marked by the temporary nature of things, we are surrounded by death. We often joke of the proverbial inevitability of death (and taxes), while the only thing we know about death is that it happens. There is no certainty about the circumstances of death; we cannot predict it, and we cannot prevent it.
Perhaps the uncertainty of death makes us scared and fearful whenever we encounter it. Perhaps we live in terror or denial of our own human nature because we cannot control this particular aspect of our lives. As the first reading continues, we hear that God did not intend for us to live in fear of death. He did not will that we would always be afraid because of our mortality. Instead, "God formed man to be imperishable." In other words, God intended us not for death, but for eternal life! An example of this teaching is found in the Eucharistic Prayer of a Funeral Mass, when the priest prays, "Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended." With such a hope-filled understanding of death, we have cause not for sadness or fear, but for joy.
With all this in mind, we have two models for approaching death. The first is that of the devil, whose envy we hear caused death to enter the world. When we persist in sin and turn away from the life to which God calls us, we become afraid of death and try desparately to avoid it. The second model is that of Mary, the sinless one whose life was changed, not ended. We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that "when the course of her earthly life was finished, she was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory." From this dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we gather that her life did not end totally and finally, but only that part of her life that was on this earth. So it is for those who are close to the heart of God; they do not fear death. Instead, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel passage, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." The faith of those around Jesus in the midst of the death of the young girl gives hope for everlasting life. So should we wait in joyful hope for the Lord to call to us, saying, "arise!"