Musings on Music for Mass

By Dr. Teresa Dody

For those who are new to this commentary, I have been writing about the music we WOULD be singing/praying together if we were able to sing and pray together.  Even if you are not a fan of singing per se, I’m certain that nearly everyone who is used to attending mass is missing what we once took for granted.  I hope that you will find a way to sing something each week.  Father and I have been trying to come up with a way to keep music part of our prayer ritual each week so he asked me to share what I normally write for the choirs/music ministers and share it with the whole congregation.  I am calling it “Musings on Music for Mass”.  My prayer is that you will find a way to keep music as part of our ritual for prayer each week.  Recordings will be attached so that you can experience the music we would be sharing together. 

As this weekend includes July 4th, I was thinking of including some patriotic music. However, the holiday shouldn’t shape the liturgy but rather how does the liturgy shape our celebration of the Fourth of July? For me this weekend was always about family and fun.  My grandpa’s birthday was July 4th.  Let’s see…this year he would have been 117!  He was born in 1903.  What a different world it was then!  Or was it?  Money was still an issue – people were still marrying, having families, getting sick and dying.  Yes some of the details have changed but at its basest form, life was still life.  Joys, tragedies and daily challenges happened then as they do now.  God was the same God as He is today.  

For this weekend, the opening hymn is Bob Hurd’s “Come to the River” from his Mass of Glory page 645 in the Breaking Bread missal.  The text of the refrain is “Come, oh come.  Come to the river flowing from the body of Christ.  We’ll go down, deep in the water but in the Lord we shall arise.”  The opening reminded me of inviting others to come to the party so to speak (if we could have parties, this weekend would be a big one!)  I think it is inviting others to baptism – the river flowing from the body of Christ.  By taking up this path – ‘we’ll go down, deep in the water’ –  life will still throw us challenges – ‘but in the Lord we shall arise’.  No matter what we face in this life, the Lord goes with us.  The first reading foretells the coming of the savior and king who would bring peace to all.  I’ve often wondered if they understood the magnitude of the purpose of Christ’s coming.  In a similar fashion, do we understand the magnitude of the lessons we are learning through this pandemic?  I know for myself, I have re-evaluated how I spend my time, what do I really need, and what is most valuable.  I know there are so many more lessons that will be evident through time.  Have you asked God what it is YOU are to be learning?  The second reading reminds us that the Spirit of God lives in all who are Christ’s.  I often remind myself of the familiar phrase “I will never look into the eyes of someone God does not love”.  If only we had that much love and respect for one another!  (Even wearing a mask is asking too much of some….)  The hymn for the preparation of the table fits well with this topic as it is the familiar Prayer of St. Francis.  “Make me a channel of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow your love. Where there is injury, your pardon Lord, and where there’s doubt true faith in you”.  Such beautiful words to pray. Our final song will be God of our Fathers.  I try to use a standard old hymn at least a few times each month. The author of the text, Daniel C. Roberts (1841-1907), was an ordained Episcopal priest who served in the union army of the Civil War.   His words seem particularly fitting given the holiday, for so many of our forefathers fought for this country to have freedom.  The God that they prayed to as they fought war after war is still the same God we pray to for protection and guidance today.  It is the same God, my Grandpa prayed to and will be the same God my great great grandchildren will pray to…and in that I find great comfort. 

Reminder: If you would like a Breaking Bread missal to have at home, just email me and we’ll find a way to get it to you.  May you be richly blessed — Sing something this weekend – if it’s only The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful or the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  And if you’re willing – sing along with the songs for mass!

Hymns

Come to the River  version 1 – solo with guitar
Come to the River   version 2 – choir – more gospel style
Prayer of St. Francis – Sebastien Temple
God of Our Fathers – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mass setting- Mass of the Joyful Heart

Glory to God
Alleluia
Holy Holy Holy (Mass of a Joyful Heart)
We Proclaim Your Death
Amen
Lamb of God