Singing in Harmony with Heaven

Under the Pope's strictest orders for silence, the great Egyptian obelisk was being carefully moved to the center of St. Peter's Square. But as the ropes began to fray and monument began to sway, the simple words shouted out by a sailor averted disaster and merited a great reward. We too, in our quest for the renewal of sacred music, need to know when to be silent and when - and what - to shout out.

We need to reflect upon and define two terms which I have been using rather freely and frequently up until this point: the Sacred Liturgy and Sacred Music. A deeper understanding of these terms is fundamental to our ongoing mission!

As much as we might wish to think that nobility or greatness of soul is beyond our reach, the Gospels are clear that Jesus calls each of us to such magnanimity... Christ is calling us to expand our hearts, so as to share in God's tender paternal love for all people.

"...If we become adept with our external forms of worship, however holy and venerable... but fail to grow to maturity in reverence, something essential will be missing."

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.

How can the music heard today in the Catholic Church be renewed so as to faithfully fulfill its traditional role – to proclaim the divine dignity of the Mass, and to draw people into its contemplative dimension of reverent adoration, transformation, and loving communion? Please join me as we study the oft-neglected but luminous path which the Church has charted for this inspired renewal, and as we share our questions and challenges along the way.