We have begun yet another Lenten season. Time again to remember to pray, fast and give alms. The Art & Environment in church as well as the music is designed to draw us all into this Lenten atmosphere. As a reminder, as I’ve stated in previous years, here are the directions that we are given by the Church in the Roman Missal:
During Lent, it is not permitted to decorate the altar with flowers, and the use of musical
instruments is allowed only so as to support the singing. Nevertheless, Laetare Sunday (the
Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts are exceptions to this rule.
Once again, we’ll be singing without much accompaniment. There will be no preludes before mass begins, or postludes afterwards. We will be singing the Holy, Holy in Latin as we normally do during Lent and part of the penitential rite will be sung in Greek (Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison – yes, that’s Greek and not Latin!) – both drawing upon the long history of the Roman Catholic Church.
Our music for this first weekend of Lent draws upon the Gospel reading of Jesus being sent out into the desert by the Spirit as he is preparing to begin his ministry. Unfortunately, this year we don’t hear of all the temptations – do you remember what they are? We start to hear the beginning of the ‘end’ of the story: John the Baptist has been arrested and will soon by beheaded. Jesus returns to Galilee to preach about the ‘kingdom of God is at hand’. We are told to ‘repent and believe in the gospel.’ We will be singing ‘Save Your People” as the opening song throughout all of Lent to bind the season together. Our closing hymn begins to tell us of this time and how we participate in it: “Shall not we your sorrow share and from worldly joys abstain, fasting with unceasing prayer, strong with you to suffer pain?” (Forty Days and Forty Nights)
The temptations of the devil to Jesus – turning stones into bread; throw yourself off the top of the temple and God will save you; all the kingdoms of the world with be yours if you worship me. (Matthew 4:1-11)