My church choir does the usual standards of choral sacred music each Sunday. Then last week director of music and organist Preston Smith programmed a Gospel piece by Robert Ray, and it stuck in my head all week. I saw today that Preston had it videotaped it. The solo singer is the extremely talented Margarita Martinez. It was the Offertory anthem, and it's nice that the video captures a bit of the Mass. The congregation applauded when we finished, which is highly unusual in the middle of a Mass, but the spirit moved them. That's Gospel for you.
Interesting lyrics, given the history-making day of February 28, the day Pope Benedict's resignation went into effect. I can respect the radical idea of a pope resigning. It's an astonishing signal that the Church which is not known for changing, can.
But, I cannot accept a pope who decides to resign DURING LENT. It is unconscionable. I don't accept the health claim: his predecessor JPII stuck it out to the end as Parkinsons ravaged his body. In fact, staying to the bitter end is a defining part of the job. You don't see Queen Elizabeth stepping down.
And if health were the driving force, he should have resigned in January, and a new pope would have been in place by Ash Wednesday. There's nothing he knew February 11 that he didn't know January 1.
Leaving 1.2 billions Catholics without a spiritual head in the middle of the holy, solemn season of Lent is the height of narcissism. It is a symptom of everything that has been wrong with Benedict's papacy.
And if the gay shenanigans going on within the Vatican is the reason, I say again, he knew all this on January 1.
Da hoo dorais fa hoo dores
A comment in one of the New York Times's pieces on the papal resignation is the loveliest summary of Catholicism:
"One of the things that has fascinated me about Roman Catholicism is that Christ essentially left his followers with one Prayer, two Commandments, and a pledge that He would be with two or more that were gathered in His name, until the end of time. That we should do this by breaking bread and drinking wine. There were no clerical ranks, no hierarchies, no properties, no elaborate rituals, and nothing more than a desire to spread the Gospel in the hopes of securing salvation for those who followed His teachings."
Yup. That's it
And I can't help that since Feb. 11 an image popped into my mind and stayed. We all know the unfortunate resemblance of Benedict to the Grinch when we wore the white-fur trimmed hat called the camauro. I makes me think about the Whos, who gather on Christmas, to hold hands and sing, even though all the trappings of Christmas have been stolen and broken by the Grinch.
That's how I feel about Catholicism. It is on the parish level that it makes the most sense. Thank God.
And so we sing . . .
I will sing of God’s mercy, every day, every hour, He gives me power.
I will sing and give thanks to Thee for all the dangers, toils and snares that He has brought me out.
He is my God and I’ll serve Him,
[No matter what the test.]
Trust and never doubt,
Jesus will surely bring you out,
He never failed me yet.
I know God is able to deliver in time of storm.
And I know that He’ll keep you safe from all earthly harm.
One day when my weary soul is at rest, I’m going home to be forever blessed.
Trust and never doubt,
Jesus will surely bring you out,
He never failed me yet.
Didn’t my God deliver Moses from King Pharaoh?
And didn’t He cool the fiery furnace for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
When I think of what my God can do,
He delivered Daniel,
I know He will deliver you.
Trust and never doubt,
Jesus will surely bring you out,
He never failed me yet.
I will sing of God’s mercy, every day, every hour, He gives me power.
I will sing and give thanks to Thee for all the dangers, toils and snares that He has brought me out.
He is my God and I’ll serve Him,
[No matter what the test.]
Trust and never doubt,
Jesus will surely bring you out,
He never failed me yet.
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