Thoughts on a choir

The parish choir is a community, someone mentioned that it is a microcosm of the Church. The choir members gather with a purpose, with a real belonging to each other for this purpose of leading in worship. It ideally acts as a community open to others, although sometimes it faces its biggest challenges in that aspect. There is freedom, there's not a heck of a lot of pretense, and a Pharisee-type will be seriously challenged. This experience really changes the way I experience the liturgy and I hope it changes the way you do, too!

Saint Cecilia - my patron

Saint Cecilia, heroic martyr who stayed faithful to Jesus your Divine Bridegroom, give us faith to rise above our persecutors and to see in them the image of our Lord.  We know that you were a musician and we are told that you heard angels sing.  Inspire musicians to gladden the hearts of people by filling the air with God's gift of music and reminding them of the Divine Musician Who created all beauty.  Amen.

Spiritual Reading

Growing in the Virtues of Jesus
(Tha Marianist Method of Virtues for Use in Groups)
by Quentin Hakenewerth, SM


This can be read alone or with a group.  (I am reading it now to be able to discuss with my 7th grader how to develop the various virtues.)  It is a spiritual journey of allowing yourself to change by taking on certain habits and attidudes of Christ.  It also has brought me more awareness about myself.

30 Books of the Bible Puzzle

30 Books of the Bible Puzzle

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them?

This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much; he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo, Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it, she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really east to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in out genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless!

My Likes and Dislikes

Please note that these are my personal likes and dislikes - and I'll even note why I am or am not crazy about a particular pieces.

Likes:

• What Child Is This? - simply because it is celtic
• Celtic Alleluia - see above
• Mary, Did You Know? - pretty song but I listed it below as well
• How Beautiful - a pretty contemporary song about serving hands

Dislikes:

• Be Not Afraid - lovely words, but all the dotted 8th notes are so confusing that is is hard to follow if you are not a reader of music notes...
• Mary, Did You Know? - as a Catholic I think this song treats OUr BLessed Mother as just another female and not 'full of grace' and one who at least had a little clue as to her Son's destiny (remember, these are my personal opinions - not meant to start an argument)
• Ashes - to me, it is heretical - We do NOT create ourselves anew - only God creates

This week's reflection

Especially since my calling has been to music ministry, I feel it is of utmost importance to reflect on my station in life.  So I'll be praying over questions such as these:

How frequently do I make use of the Sacrament of Penance?
What does this tell me about how seriously I take my call to holiness? 
Do I utilize this sacrament often enough to worthily receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of my Lord and Saviour?!

Yes, I DO occasionally burst into song...

...especially when I am suffering sleep deprivation.  For instance, we were on our pilgrimage to the 2010 March for Life in Washington, DC and slept on the floor of the religious education building at St. Patrick's Parish.  We woke too early for my comfort - especially after a night of barely dozing off on a hard, cold floor - and all I could think to do was sing "This Is the Day The Lord Has Made."
I had a couple of really good friends barely control themselves from gut-punching me for that one :-)

Honestly, ladies - it was the sleep-deprived me that was in the mood to sing at 5:30 a.m.

Pax,
Michaela