First, I have to say that I love our Holy Father! I love being Catholic! Thank You, Lord, for making me so!
The Holy Father's homily was absolutely beautiful. (My girls were a bit confused, as his accent is heavy and it is not one they're familiar with right now. Polish and Lebanese and Irish, yes. Germanic, no.) I love that he pointed us all back in the direction of Christ, called us ALL (Catholics and Protestants alike) to conversion. Warned us of the dangers of our increasingly secular society. God bless our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for choosing him!
The man who sang "Panis Angelicus" (who knelt before the Holy Father and passionately kissed his ring) was inspirational. I sobbed throughout the song. It is one of my favorite pieces, and I wish I were able to hear it more often. To hear it at Mass, after receiving the Eucharist (even though we could only make a Spiritual Communion today) - ah! (Latin lyrics here, English translation here.) [Addendum: As I was getting ready to post this, I was searching for a picture of the man who sang so beautifully for the Holy Father and who greeted him with such reverence. It was Placido Domingo. I knew he had to be professional - it was so sublime to listen to him sing - but I honestly had no idea. I was, quite literally, in tears by the end, and continued to sob for the rest of Mass. Thank you, Placido, for that beautiful gift for the Holy Father and for the rest of us.]
I'm sad to say that I think that might have been the first piece of music that the Holy Father recognized. *sigh* I was really hoping that they would take into consideration the many writings (and lectures and discussions) the Holy Father has given us about the beauty of ancient music, Gregorian Chant, and Latin in the Liturgy. (They actually did not do the Agnus Dei correctly, finishing with "miserere nobis" instead of "dona nobis pacem.") Until "Panis Angelicus," there was no music that was any older than, say, about 45 years or so. And at one point, my six year old said, "It sounds like a carnival." The only time I actually felt compelled to mute the sound completely (aside from at Communion, when, as Big Girl put it, "The music is too jumpy,") was during the Responsorial Psalm. Why anyone would write Psalm 93 ("Lord, send out Your Spirit and renew the face of the earth") to diminished chords (kind of like a double-minor chord) is beyond me. It was bone-jarring, and at one point (just before muting it) I thought, "Oh, poor Holy Father. He can't mute them!"
I hate to complain. Honestly, I do. But that musical selection was just poor. It was very jarring at times, and those diminished chords have no place in a Mass! One thing that I've always felt about them - right from the time I learned about them in music classes and piano lessons - is that they sound awful. Not awful as in they can never sound right musically, but awful in the sense that they sound - well, I'll just put it out plain and simple - devilish. Demonic. I'm sorry, I am talking about the composition used for our Responsorial Psalm, but it was just awful and made me feel kind of creepy inside. That's why I finally muted it and apologized to the girls. If you hear a recording of it, or if you heard it on television today, please let me know if you agree. I honestly think that diminished settings of music are depressing and just ... off. And in all my life, I never thought I'd hear it in a Mass setting. I've always felt they sounded kind of evil because they are dissonant. They don't flow. They are definitely not uplifting.
The only other thing that really bugged me was the absolute slavishness to multiculturalism. Instead of worshipping as one Church, I felt very divided and separate from the Mass at times. With each petition in the Intentions being in a different language, I just plain couldn't understand what was being said! I just felt as though it was much more divisive than anything at Mass ought to be, and focused on all the neat-o kinds of people there rather than Christ, who was about to become Present on the altar!
However, nitpicking aside, understand this:
The miracle - the jaw-dropping, amazing, utterly fantastic miracle - happened again.
Jesus Christ became present - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - on the altar.
He was Present. He was there. Once again, He came to us.
We who are full of failings. We who are sinful and prideful and complaining. We who are totally and completely undeserving.
Christ came to us.
Christ, our Hope and Salvation!
Christ, our Lord and God!
Christ, our Shepherd and High Priest!
We must never lose sight of the fact that this is what the Mass is for, what it is about. The Eucharist, the source and summit of our lives as Christians! The Center of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass! No matter what the musical selections might be, no matter how the petitions are presented, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity become Man, is physically present on the altar during Mass. And we enter Heaven's never-ending worship of God when we assist at Mass.
Remember that Christ was there.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming.
Thank You, Father in Heaven, for the gift of Your Son.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for guiding our Church - YOUR Church - throughout time.
Thank You, God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - for bringing our Holy Father Benedict to us safely and allowing us to learn from him and be with him. May his journey in our country be safe, and may it bring the spiritual fruits that we all so desperately need. Glory be to God now and forever, amen.
1 comment:
I have to say that I thought Placido Domingo was very easy on the eyes as well as the ears. I hope I look that good when I'm his age. :)
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