A Slight Departure...

Amy Welborn has begun a Monday Morning Liturgical Quarterback blogging that asks folks to comment on their weekend's liturgies. I'm not sure if she's start a new entry for this Monday, but I wanted to comment on tonights' Mass before I forget. You'll probably see my entry there sometime this week, but tonight I'm departing a bit from Youth Ministry.

The weekend's Gospel is about being the Salt and Light of the world. Our parish also likes to honor the married couples who have been married 15, 20, 25, etc, years up to whenever. So, there they are in the front pews and the deacon starts giving the homiy.

It occurs to me that we missed an amazing opportunity here at our parish. If I had given the homily-and while I'm not advocating it, sometimes I think I might do a better job-I would have done something along these lines.

In marriage, you are called to be salt and light to each other. Sometimes you have to refresh your commitment and act in love even when you don't feel in love. When it's hard, and you choose to grow, that is often the spice of life, of growing together. Certainly, marriage can be an opportunity to also be a light to the world. Good marriages can come through hard times and be a witness of God's grace. Good marriages can be a witness to the world of the couples' love pouring out onto others-maybe through the two of them or through their famlies. Certainly Catholics are known for having several off spring that can also be a witness to the world that contracepts love and treats men and women as objects of pleasure.

In the same way, we are all called to be salt and light to the world. Marriage reflects God's relationship with his Bride, the Church. We can go through hard times, choose to grow, and be a witness of God's grace working in our lives. We can be a witness to the world of our love, between ourselves and God pouring out onto others. The fruit of our lives is what others will see and we can choose to not contracept God's love for us or our love for one another.

But alas, no. Our musician-who has the annoying habit of not just announcing songs, as this is all that's needed, but also addding commentary on how these songs relate to the Mass. Please just announce it and thelet the song speak for itself-picked out a song that honored marriage which we sang after this bouncy Communion hymn, and it was called the Nuptual hymn or some dumb thing. No where did it even relate the fact that as husband is to wife, so Christ is to his Church. What a beautiful connection we could have made here and it just went right by.

(I must add this to my dismay, I am a cantor and so have to sing and lead some of the crazy songs she picks. Fortunatly, though the books we have often have songs that say "God" all the time and never "He", there are some songs that retain the sense of "Father" and "He" and she doesn't change those)

So, there are my thoughts. Had to put them out before I forget.

I've got to work Sunday-training of the 11th and 12th graders who will be leading the Confirmation retreat in a few weeks! So, I'm done for tonight!