Juntos en el camino: Palabras semanales del Arzobispo Hebda
As our Archdiocese has been journeying through this Year 2 of implementation of my pastoral letter, You Shall Be My Witnesses, and as the Church in the United States continues with our Eucharistic Revival, still benefiting from the graces of this summer’s Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, we have rightly been focusing on the Eucharist as being the source and summit of all Christian life. How we celebrate the Mass and participate at Mass is of utmost importance. I’m very grateful to the more than 80 of our pastors who have joined me over the course of six dinners at my residence over these last months to speak about how we celebrate the Mass. I’m also grateful that our priests and deacons came out in such great number for a workshop earlier this month on the ars celebrandi (the art of celebrating) of the Mass.
Part of our discussion, though you won’t be surprised, has focused on liturgical music, which seems to be a fitting topic this week, as we approach the feast of St. Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
In the 18 years that I lived in Rome, I would always try to visit the Basilica of St. Cecilia on her feast day. The Basilica, built over her home, is striking and, as you might imagine, the music at Mass was always heavenly. But it was Cecilia’s steadfast witness to the faith that always left the great impression. You might remember that the young Cecilia had made a vow to God to remain a virgin, but her father nonetheless arranged a marriage for her to a young pagan. On Cecilia’s wedding day, she refused to dance but rather withdrew and sang to the Lord. Her impassioned witness of faith led to the conversion of her husband and his willingness to respect her vow of virginity. She and her husband would eventually be martyred, but not before leading hundreds of Romans to the faith. St. Cecilia was so beloved in Rome that she continues to be remembered every time we pray the first Eucharistic prayer.
Music is deeply rooted in our faith. Our Bible includes the Book of Psalms, which was essentially an anthology of songs written to be sung. We know, moreover, that the angels sang out, “Glory to God in the highest” at Jesus’ birth, and an imprisoned Paul endured his suffering by singing hymns to God. In the liturgy itself, we are encouraged to sing the Kyrie (Lord have mercy), the Alleluia, the Sanctus (“Holy, Holy, Holy”), the great Amen, and the Lamb of God. That’s a good bit of singing in addition to any hymns!
Nonetheless, singing God’s praises doesn’t always come naturally in our culture. When we introduced the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) for small groups, there was some grumbling that we were asking groups to begin with song and praise. We can be self-conscious about singing. Yet there’s something about music that opens up parts of our heart and our brain that are otherwise unreachable. I recently attended a funeral at the Cathedral and was amazed at the role played by the music in bringing consolation and hope to a mourning congregation. God was truly present in the beauty.
Needless to say, I’m so grateful to our pastoral musicians and to all who contribute musically to our liturgies and prayer experiences. One of my hopes for this Year 2 is that we as a local church can grow to experience liturgy in a fuller, richer way—and support for our music ministry is an important element in that effort. We are really blessed in this Archdiocese with amazing cantors, choirs, and instrumentalists. Please be sure to thank the music ministers in your parishes who serve us week after week.
Many attribute to St. Augustine the adage that “the one who sings prays twice.” Please take that to heart. For those of your who are parents, please encourage your children to sing at Mass – and be sure to join in as well. They need your example. Through the intercession of St. Cecilia, let’s pray that we might be able to lift our voices in praise at each Mass, in good company with the angels and saints!
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