Being what I didn't have time to blog at the time.
1. Ash Wednesday (I posted this at "Charlotte was Both.")
First, in response to scads of derisive comments about "Ashes"
Had no idea that “Ashes” was so controversial. I’ll have to remember that when planning for next year.
Then a true story of mortification.
Due to the scheduled musician having to be away suddenly(death in the family), we had an accapella Mass. I cantored with lots of Latin, and was pleased at how much the students knew and sang along with. I sang “Attende Domine” and “Ah, Holy Jesus” for the imposition of ashes.
We had a local television station filming during Mass. I didn’t realize that I was getting nervous, until I accidentally turned an extra page in my music notebook when the camera zoomed in on me. I started to sing the Sanctus immediately after concluding the Kyrie. I got out two notes, then stopped with a mortified look.
Our new priest semi-smiled and said to the crew “you can erase that from the tape, right?” and continued with the Mass.
My personal mortification helped me internalize what was said to me later: Remember you are dust.
Anyone got video of the news coverage of the Mass in question? It was on opposite the Duke-Carolina Game (WE WON!!!) and I didn't remember to set the VCR.
2. The first high holy day of the season went well. Another hard-fought battle resulting in a win at the Dean Dome (or dome or doom...)
3. Things seem to be going well with the Parish (or whatever we're really supposed to call it) adjusting to the new Padre. It works to his advantage that he is so very different from the previous Padre -- it keeps people from automatically expecting him to do what the previous incumbent did. That being said, I knew there'd be no problem with planning lots of Latin for the accapella Ash Wednesday Mass.
4. I really need for Google/Blogger to get the spell check feature fixed.
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3 comments:
I'm confused what's wrong with the song "Ashes"?
Interesting hear how Padre New is working out. Prayers for y'all during this transition.
Re: "Ashes." I can't say what everyone in the blogosphere is all upset about since I've given up reading angry judgmental blog comments for Lent. But...what bugged me about it when we sang it at our parish is the line "we create ourselves anew," which--unless it's understood with a lot of nuancing that I don't think is there in the lyrics--makes Ash Wednesday more about self-help than about God. We don't recreate ourselves: God recreates us.
So in that sense, it's heresy, which I can understand people having problems with.
Of course there's always the chance for a "teachable moment," a chance to explain how we have to co-operate with grace, how by being taken up into the life of Christ we become like God. But I think, given the dangerous tendency of some modern liturgy towards individualism and self-helpishness, a line like that is at least ill-advised.
Of course the real problem is that the song is so darn catchy...it's been in my head all week! ;-)
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