I Rejoiced! Monteverdi’s “Laetatus Sum”
The New Testament, as St. Augustine pointed out, is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. And, here, beautifully put to music.
We Three Kings: Music for Epiphany
We Three Kings “We Three Kings of Orient Are . . .” Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know this song? It’s easily the most familiar hymn associated with Epiphany, at least as it’s celebrated in the Western Church. I wrote more extensively about Epiphany itself in my post on Janauary 6th, the traditional date […]
11th Day of Christmas – Christmas Bells: The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail
Longfellow, who had very powerful incentives to turn to despair, instead created a poem that shows us that the joy of Christmas is not a denial of the brokenness of this world, but God’s answer to it.
8th Day of Christmas – The Scandal of Mary, Mother of God and Marian Medley
As Christians, we know that we are called to conform ourselves to the Truth, not to the impossible task of somehow conforming Divine Truth to ourselves.
6th Day of Christmas – The Holy Family and the Crisis of Our Family
Holy Family The Holy Family, whose feast we celebrate today, commemorates the Holiest Family, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. But, as always, there’s more to it. The name of the feast also reminds us that “the family” in general, composed of father, mother, and children, is itself “holy.” It is, in fact, a gift of God. […]
Merry Christmas (and Feast of St. Anastasia)!
St. Anastasia shares in the Incarnation by sharing her feast day with the commemoration of Christ’s Nativity on the Solemnity of Christmas.
A Loving Mother: Alma Redemptoris Mater
Loving Mother of Our Redeemer Who doesn’t want a loving mother? Or, if we need to win the favor of a powerful person (a King, for instance), how could we pass up the opportunity of having his Mother put in a good word for us? That’s the dual promise of the Alma Redemptoris Mater. The first […]
2nd Sunday of Advent: Lo, How A Rose
Root of Jesse 2nd Sunday
Mozart Makes The Gloria Soar
The Gloria The Gloria starts with “Glory to God in the highest . . .” If you frequent the Catholic Mass, you know this prayer. You’ve heard it hundreds of times, maybe thousands. But how much do you know about it? Or have you ever wondered where it comes from, or how it got into the Mass? First […]
Sacred Music: Allegri’s Adoremus in Aeternum
Sacred music is a topic near and dear to my hear. More importantly, it is dear to the heart of the Church. Consider what the Second Vatican Council had to say . . .