Continued from a few weeks ago...

It seems that the more things change, the more things remain the
same. We begin the Holy Week observance with Palm Sunday with the
triumphant entry of Jesus to songs like "Hosanna In The Highest"
and "The Children of Jerusalem," then sings songs of his crucifixion
like "Crux Fidelis," "Wood Of The Cross" and "Were You There?" Well,
it's a time when the world is irrevocably changed. I believe that
the joy, sorrow and triumph of this week is reflected in its music,
especially in the Triduum services.

I said that while Christmas is a time of feelings, Easter is a time
of faith. And I have some good reasons. The Mass of the Lord's
Supper is one of the most beautiful services, beginning with the joy
of being invited to share in the Passover feast and concluding with
the procession to Gethsemani. Over the past two years, the choir and
I have done a song called "As I Have Done To You," which was based on
the words in John's account of the Last Supper and his last discourse
to his disciples about preparing a place for his friends.
"On the day I return," he says, "I'll come to take you with me to my
Father's house." It seems to sum up his mission as he tries to bring
his word to the world. And I saw it reflected in Fr. Casey's washing
the feet of several of our parish ministers.
And of course, all the hymns of the Eucharist such as "The Supper Of
The Lord" and "Cry Holy," in which we praise the Lamb of God who was
slain for our sins. And of course, the Eucharist that we share each
week is a sign of his love for us.
One of the oldest songs in the Holy Thursday liturgy is "Ubi
Caritas," which means "Where Charity Is Found, God Is There." For
the past few years, we've sung a version of it by Browning, in which
we ask God to take our gifts and use us for his plan of salvation.
And of course, we must leave in holy silence as the Communion for the
next day is held in the Altar of Repose. It means that the church
has suspended the Holy Sacrifice for the next 48 hours and has
entered its period of mourning.
By the way, one of the hymns that our music director introduced is
Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus," which is appropriate for the day
itself. It commemorates the Crucified Christ that we have shared
this night and hopefully will share in his eternal banquet one day.

Good Friday is the most haunting of services, in which we commemorate
the Crucifixion of Jesus. There are only 3 parts of this: the
liturgy of the word, the adoration of the Cross and Holy Communion.
And it has changed a lot since I joined the choir 20 years ago. For
many years, the night time service featured a dramatization of The
Passion Gospel. Over 4 of the past 6 years, the Passion has been
sung. I still have a recording of Fr. Joe, Kumi & Mike Joyce doing
it back in 2003. This year, as last year, Mary Lou & Fr. Bob, along
with Christine Sullivan from the folk choir performed it.
We always begin with singing the chorus of "Behold the Wood," which
is part of a bigger hymn which sets the theme for the adoration of
the Holy Cross. Among the songs we've done for this is "How Long, O
God?" by Marty Haugen, "Adoramus Te" from DuBois's "7 Last Words,"
and the song "Tree Of Glory," the Good Friday setting of which
features a spoken reflection on the Wondrous Cross that Jesus died
on. This year, we added two old hymns "O Holy Jesus" and "O Sorrow
Deep," which we did a few weeks ago during a Lenten Festival of
Lessons and Hymns, which paid tribute to Jesus's passion and death.
And of course, we did "Behold The Lamb Of God," the song that seems
to cap the entire sentiment of this most beautiful of all days!

And the Easter Vigil...it begins in darkness as the new fire is lit
and the candle is brought in while the words "Lumen Christi" is
sung. And of course, the Exsultet proclaims the opening of the
Easter Season.
"Jesus Christ Our Lord Is Risen...Christ Has Conquered!
Glory Fills You! Darkness Vanishes Forever!"
After the Proclamation, the Liturgy of the Word is punctuated by the
psalms we sing at the end of each riding: the creation, Abraham's
sacrifice, Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt...etc. And of course,
when we sing the Gloria, the bells ring out and the lights of our
church are on in full force.
And who can forget the "Surrexit Christus," from the Taize community,
which reintroduces the Alleluia to our musical repetroire. It's a
joyous celebration of new life! And it heralds the joy that the
Easter season represents.
Among the hymns that we perform for the Rites of Baptism and
Confirmation over the years have included "Springs Of Water, Bless
The Lord," in which all the waters of Earth are called to rejoice in
God's creation. We also sing songs like "Water of Life," in which we
ask God to cleanse and refresh us in his love. And for the
confirmation, we sing "Come Holy Ghost" to call the Holy Spriit down
upon the cathecumens and candidates who are receiving initiation into
the church.
During the last seciton of the Vigil, the Mass itself, we sing "Ye
Sons And Daughters," the traditional Easter hymn of Jesus rising from
the dead and spreading his peace upon us. We've also done "The
Festival Canticle: Worthy Is Christ," which complements the "Cry
Holy" we sing on Thursday night; only it's triumphant that the lamb
who was slain rose from the dead. Over the past couple of years,
we've done the Easter Vigil version of "Christ, Be Our Light," with
verses lifted from the Easter Proclamation itself.
It's amazing to note that when we've done the Festival Canticle at
the Offertory, the organist would play a long organ fanfare while the
Eucharist was being offered and incensed. When incense is used to
sanctify the gifts, it recalls the prayer, "May my prayers rise like
incense before you, Lord."
And of course, who can forget the hymn "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today,
Alleluia?!" Easter truly is our triumphant day, the day in which we
celebrate that Jesus's resurrection has redeemed us from the loss we
suffered in the Garden of Eden. This is proof that God is a God of
glory and might! And I'll tell you...after the Easter Vigil is over,
I feel an adrenalline rush like you wouldn't believe! After all, the
Easter Triduum takes a lot of oneself.
And you know, this year, the first Easter without Mom, I found
comfort and consolation in the music that my choir and I perform
during the Paschal Triduum. It reminds me that Mom's alive in spirit
and memory, and I know she was watching over me and the choir and
helping us to do our very best!

Yes, the Easter Triduum features the most beautiful music of all the
year. And it's a true testament to how church music stands the test
of time. Music styles come and go, but sacred music is always
popular. And that's why we have this Yahoo group.
If you enjoy sacred music, please tell your friends to join the
group. It's a great place to discuss religious music of all kinds.
Whether it's Gregorian Chant or Michael W. Smith, this group has
something for everyone!

God bless you until the next time.