After a summer of answering various questions about the liturgy/church, it’s time to get back to the more normal issues of the readings and our music in the Sunday liturgies. I’ll still happy to answer other questions – just send them my way at mjakmouj@popolathe.org.
Recently a parishioner commented after mass how nice it was that everything tied together during the mass that particular weekend. While sometimes it comes together better than planned – purely by the influence of the Holy Spirit – that is the result that we aim for each and every week. The music should tie to the readings, prayers, entrance antiphon, etc. The homily should relate to the readings, and thus to the music. It should all be neatly tied together with a bow on top. By doing this, it will hopefully help you, the parishioner, remember what happened on Sunday and remind you how to live your life each day. Hopefully you will remember a certain line from the homily, a refrain to a piece of music, a phrase from a prayer, that will guide you in your day. This is what I and the priests desire to happen each and every week at each Mass.
This week in the Gospel we continue to hear of Jesus’ ministry. He’s out teaching and preaching, telling stories and parables. Today we hear about renouncing all of our possessions and carrying the cross that we have been given. Our opening song, “Take Up Your Cross”, immediately presents us with this idea as we gather together. “Take up your cross, the Savior said, if you would my disciple be: deny yourself, the world forsake, and humbly follow after me.” Here we have presented in the first thing that we do as a gathered community the message of the Gospel.
After listening to the readings and homily, our song at the preparation of the gifts also brings us to this same idea: “These Alone are Enough”. This beautiful prayer, written by St. Ignatius of Loyola, guides us gently along the same path:
Take my heart, O Lord, take my hopes and dreams.
Take my mind with all its plans and schemes.
Give me nothing more than your love and grace.
These alone, O God, are enough for me.
Our Communion songs take us a little deeper into the same message. In “You are Mine” we sing of being called by God and that we are His. Belonging to someone is incredibly powerful and that is what our God does for each of us. He has called us; He is with us; and He will bring us home. “I Am the Light of the World” echoes a similar theme – “they who follow me will have the light of life.” We will be with our Father if we answer His call to give up what we have, bear our cross, and follow Him.
Our concluding song prompts us into the next step after what we have heard in the readings, homily and music: to make of all disciples. We are commanded to leave the church and to take the message out into the world – the message of God’s love for us; that we are His; and that He wants us to be with Him in Heaven forever. “Go Make of All Disciples” is a fitting way to engage us in this endeavor:
“Go make of all disciples.”
We hear the call, O Lord, that comes from you, our Father, in your eternal Word.
Inspire our ways of learning through earnest, fervent prayer,
and let our daily living reveal you everywhere.