Oh yeah.. September's WiTW

I want to keep everyone up to date as to some things happening in the US church. For a few years now, the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has a group of people working on a newly revised English version of the mass. Supposedly, they don’t believe that the one we use now is a literal enough translation, so some things are going to change. The translation was finally approved at the end of July, but won’t really go into effect for a couple of years. A copy has been made available for “pastoral preparation” purposes, and I have that if anyone is interested. Mainly, they want to give various ministers a chance to get familiar with the new texts and wordings. Songwriters will have a chance to write music based on the new words. Beyond that, not much else is known right now. The words aren’t greatly different from the ones we know, but it will be a little confusing at first, because we have become so familiar with the way we say mass now.
You know, we all have a way we think the church should be or needs to be. I know when I walk into an unfamiliar mass with a priest I’ve never seen and music I’ve never heard, I wonder if it’s going to be done “right.” I got into a discussion (argument) with a Catholic artist online recently about one of his pieces portraying a long haired, bearded man with a sign looking for work after “40 years of disservice” to the church. This artist proceeded to tell me that Vatican II, back in the sixties, opened up a door to these people leading us away from “real” Catholicism – that he and his people consciously tried to drag the church down. As much as I think a lot of the music and methods of liturgy were quite off-the-wall and possibly misguided through the sixties, seventies and even the eighties (many of my formative years by the way), I would never say that anyone intentionally tried to bring down the faith of the people.
Is there room in the church for organ, piano, violin and guitar? Is there room in the church for English, Latin, Spanish, and Polish? Can there be priests in the church who speak very theologically and others who tell stories or jokes during their homilies? Can there be masses that are uplifting and exciting and others that are more solemn and reflective? All indicators I have show me the answer is YES! Christ welcomes all of us to come to the table and share in the meal of life. He invited both the rich and the poor throughout the gospels. I believe Christ calls people of all walks of life and inclinations still today. When we approach the altar with disdain for a Christian brother or sister without forgiving them first, then where is the bond of the communion of saints or the love of a God who is infinitely merciful and welcoming?
On a side note, I am looking for people to join the newly reformed Spiritual Life and Worship commission. We are changing the focus of this group toward one of brainstorming, preparing and evaluating our liturgies together, as well as learning about the foundations of Catholic liturgy and seeing how it applies (or doesn’t) here at Good Shepherd. If you are interested in joining us, or want to know more, give me a call at 618-5986. Thanks!

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.

As the fun ends...

Wow, what a week a couple weeks ago. I didn't blog before this because I have been recovering for the last week. We had our annual summer social at the parish Thursday through Saturday. There were some very powerful storms that came through unfortunately, but I think we had fun despite the incliment weather. Last year I volunteered to help with the Texas Hold'em portion of the social, and this year, I volunteered to run the whole thing. What a lot of work that turned out to be, but what a great deal of fun I had with it. We had nightly mini tables all through the week, and a big tournament on Sunday. With close to 90 players, we ran about five exciting hours. Thanks to everyone who came out to play and deal and supervise. I cant wait for our next one.

Opposites attract

Just reflecting on my life...

Last night, my dinner club got together for the third time. We had a fantastic southern inspired dinner with ribs, sweet potatoes and polenta with goat cheese. My fried zucchini even fit in pretty well. We had two guests for dinner as well, our host's nephew and her mother. It was a very pleasant evening hearing stories about their life back home in Kentucky. We were there for close to five hour just eating, talking and laughing.

And now for something completely different...

Tonight, I was asked to take a visiting missionary out for dinner after he talked to our communtity. He is a priest from India, and runs a vocational school there. This was his first trip outside of India, and he winds up in Indiana. Ironic? Anyway, our discussion as we enjoyed our Chicago style pizza ranged from music to poverty to global political structures. How different from the night before, but still as engaging and enjoyable for me.

Some days, I really love my job.

Unanswered Prayers

On a more personal note...

Ever have one of those series of experiences that really makes you wonder about your life? About whether you are really connecting with the people YOU feel like you are? I've had some of those lately. For me, this experience has come in the form of weddings. Two of the women I have cared about more in my life than I'd care to talk about, got married. A couple months apart, both of them married men who seemed to make them unbelieveably happy. The funny part is, I was an important part of their life when they met their to-be husbands.

I guess its the fact that I was hoping that I would be the one to make them happy, or maybe it is the jealousy I feel when I know someone can really feel like that. On a positive note, I have been successful in stepping back and really caring about them enough to say that their happiness is SO much more important than my selfishness. "If you love them, set them free." Right?

On a slight tangent, I was watching Drumline last night. One of the big catch phrases in that movie is "One Band, One Sound." Toward the end of the movie, the band director calls aside the head of the drumline and asks him, "Do you remember why I said you would be a good leader for this group? (or something like that)" He replied, "You said I liked the sound of the line better than the sound of my own drum." I've seen that movie four or five times, so I dont know why that just struck me like it did last night. Maybe because I believe that the love I have for those around me isn't about how I "sound" to them, but how my contributions can help them sound the best they can.

I think this lesson applies to these two women and their pursuit of happiness. If I was to be selfish and want them in my life more, then maybe they wouldn't have found these great men who make them so happy. I would have stood in the way of their voice being heard.

I also apply this lesson to my life as a Director of Music as well. Many people in the parish here think that I need to do more solo work, and lead with my voice. I tend to step down and give all the support, training, and encouragement to the leaders in this program, helping them to shine with all they have. I have opportunities to make a difference here, but usually its when someone (or a group) really does well. I am so proud of each and every person who I work with here. We have made some beautiful music together (metaphorically and actually speaking).

I used to pray to God to bring someone back into my life. I've been through quite an emotional rollercoaster with a few people along the way. Maybe I just need to be thankful for unanswered prayers. God hasn't let me down yet. Its about the sounds of the line (choir, community, family, friends) after all.

June WitW

Wow, its been a while since I posted anything. Amazing how time flies by when you're having fun. So, I think I'll post two, just because I've had so much running through my head lately. Here is my newsletter article from this month. I already blogged about it, but this article has gotten me more comments than anything I've written so far.

You know, unity is a funny thing. We sing about it, we pray for it, and we hope for it among Christians and fellow citizens of this country and the world. I recently had a parishioner come up after mass and comment on the inappropriateness of one of our songs because it was too “Baptist.” We may not be in unity with other Christians in our doctrine or structure, but can we be unified with them in the Spirit?
The early Church struggled with the same questions. They were faced with quite a few non-Jewish people wanting to follow the teachings of Jesus in community, but some people would have nothing to do with it unless they followed the “right way.” They struggled over issues ranging from following the Jewish calendar or prayer styles to circumcision. We have many of the same questions today. For example, how do we deal with a non-Catholic person who wants to teach in a Catholic school? How do we feel when a member of our community decides to leave the Catholic Church and go to another?
Jesus talked about one faith, one God, and one Spirit. One image I’ve always liked is that of the “body of Christ” with a body, a mind, and a spirit. The body is the structure – a particular denomination’s buildings, rules and specific rites. The mind is the doctrine – the teachings and beliefs. The spirit is the Holy Spirit – the animator of our faith life and inspiration for all holiness. If we can’t be unified in the first two areas, maybe its best to work on the latter, and most important, one.
Of course, to even begin to imagine a unified Christian church, we need to work on unity among ourselves, person-to-person. If we can succeed at connecting with each other one-on-one, then maybe we can show the world the power of Christ still present after all these years. I think that working and praying together in a faith community is exactly what Christ had in mind.
I’ll leave you with the lyrics to one of our most well-known songs here at Good Shepherd, “One Bread, One Body.” My favorite line is “and we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.” Let’s continue to strive for unity among ourselves as a faith community, and therefore witness to the world that Christ is alive and thriving here.