Ascension Thursday This coming Thursday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord . . . at least in many dioceses. And of course, wherever the traditional liturgical calendar is followed. It may not surprise you, if you are a regular reader of this blog, that I'm not a fan of moving important feasts like … Continue reading Lobet Gott in Seinen Reichen (from Bach’s Ascension Oratorio)
Truth is Real – St. Athanasius in the 21st Century
The Church is supposed to be a Sign of Contradiction (Luke 2:34). If all she offers in the face of sin is a Nod and a Wink, however, what is she teaching? How is any distinction possible between her teaching and what the Conventional Wisdom has on offer? Do we not then give tacit assent?
“Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives
We tend not to associate the word "hallelujah" with those penitential seasons. In Christ on the Mount of Olives it signifies the climactic moment when Christ says, "Not my will, but ours, be done" (Luke 22:42). This is when he commits himself to his passion and death on the cross. That, in turn, will lead directly to the triumph of Easter. Now that calls for a "Hallelujah!"
Have a Blessed Easter! (Jesus Christ is Risen Today)
Christ is Risen indeed. And what could be more fitting this day than the joyous Easter hymn, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"? T
Something Strange is Happening: Holy Saturday
Something Strange Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. These are the opening sentences of the non-scriptural reading in today’s Office of Readings. Tradition calims St. Melito of Sardis as the author, but we don't know … Continue reading Something Strange is Happening: Holy Saturday
Is it I, Lord? – Good Friday
When Jesus says to them, “You will all fall away” (Matthew 26:31), he’s not speaking only to his Apostles, but to all of us who have been his disciples in the millennia since, as well as all those in the years to come.
Christ Came to Serve: Holy Thursday
I often find it easy to identify with Peter and the other Apostles. That is, when they are slow to catch on to what their Master is saying.
O Sacred Head Surrounded: A Hymn For Holy Week:
What's not as well known is that Bach is author of neither the basic melody nor the words. The composer merely incorporated into his composition (with some significant adaptation) what was already a familiar hymn called O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden ("O Head Full of Blood and Wounds"). The music, which dates from about the year 1600, was composed by Hans Leo Hassler.
The Inner Struggle: Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday
We gain something, however, from seeing the joyful palm-waving crowd welcoming Jesus and the angry crowd demanding his death in the same liturgy. We see a reflection in today's mass of the struggle within each of us between the desire for salvation and the allure of sin.
“Let it Be” – The Annunciation and Us
Let It Be Done Unto Me Let it be done unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) I often used to admire a stained-glass window that looks down on the altar in the cathedral where I used to attend Mass with my family. The scene in the window is the Annunciation. It depicts the young … Continue reading “Let it Be” – The Annunciation and Us