Death of a great song writer

One of the most famous names in Catholic Church music is that of Joseph Gelineau. He was very popular back in the 1960's writing many simple but powerful settings to the psalms for use in the liturgy. He later went on to write refrains for the Taize community in France. I will come across a psalm setting by him in a liturgy I'm part or or attending, or even schedule one myself on occasion. Why I like his music is because it is easy for the congregation to learn, yet includes beautiful chordal progressions in the verses that catch any ear when done well.

I just heard today that Joseph passed away a few days ago. I'm including his obituary.

+ Rest in Peace.

Joseph Gelineau died in hospital in the French Alps. He had fractured a femur and was hospitalized. It was not possible to operate for ten days, due to circulatory problems. In the event, the surgery was not a great success, and then a renal blockage appeared which it was impossible to do anything about.

The funeral is this Tuesday, August 12, in the village of Vallorcines in the Savoy Alps, and Père Joseph will be buried with his Jesuit brothers in Grenoble.

August WitW

Sorry I've been absent so long... its been an unusually long month. Without further adieu...

A few years ago I found myself reading a quirky book called Zen and the Art of Guitar. One of the lessons that stood out the most for me was their description of how to master an art form. The student of an art must begin by putting on a white belt every day, according to the author. Every day, that student sees himself or herself as a novice… a beginner. Over time, that belt begins to gray and becomes worn and dirty. Eventually, the belt turns gray and then black, without the student even noticing it. Continuing the practice, the belt eventually wears itself clean and becomes white again. Only by not being focused on the status of the belt does a student learn to improve and grow, eventually having the same color as the beginner.
How would this apply in the life of a student of the Christian life? David Haas wrote a catchy tune called “We Are Called.” The lyrics to the refrain are as follows:
We are called to act with justice.
We are called to love tenderly.
We are called to serve one another,
To walk humbly with God.
I don’t see any room for pride, self-serving, or aspiration in this gospel inspired way of life. The gospels try to teach us that serving others, loving others, seeking justice and walking HUMBLY with God does, in fact, please God and draws us closer to the community of faith. No matter what we are faced with, be it brutal and seemingly insurmountable challenges or a place of being loved and adored or just the everyday predictability of a comfortable life, maybe Jesus is teaching us to be that student, always looking to learn more and grow more and not to be the best or greatest at anything. Blessed are the poor, the meek, the humble and the despised. Theirs is the kingdom of God.
As we face new challenges, a lot of times it’s easy to think we have all the answers and know exactly how to handle things. I think walking humbly with God means knowing that the more we think we know, the less we really do. One of my favorite catch phrases is: I’m not great, but I’m an apprentice to greatness. It’s God’s wisdom, love and power that give me the strength to move mountains.