The Presentation of the Lord
Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi
by Rory Cooney
Copyright © 1991 by Rory Cooney
How will we go about shaping musical liturgy during this year of Luke in Ordinary Time? How will this gospel shape our time of worship even as it shapes the way we live our lives outside the Sunday assembly? Our choice of what elements of the rite we sing, as much as the songs we choose, will help to focus assembly prayer and "act out" the Christian life in ritual.
Keep in mind the central themes of the gospel developed elsewhere in this publication: the healing and reconciliation of persons as a sign of God's presence/reign; mealsharing as a sign of that reconciling work; the Holy Spirit as the driving force in the life of Jesus given over as the breath of the church; prayer as a central aspect of ministry; Jerusalem as the site of crisis, the place of destiny for Jesus and the disciples, the birthplace of the church. These themes and others will give us clues as we proceed as to what ways the preparation of sung worship might be approached.
The task of this article falls into three clearly definable sections:
the early Sundays of Cycle C (weeks 2-7), which encompass the beginning of the Lucan narrative from the prologue through the sermon on the plain, minus, of course, the infancy narratives; the Sundays immediately following the Easter season (weeks 13-17) in which the journey to Jerusalem is taken up in earnest and the formation of the discipleship community is intensified; and the three feasts of the Presentation, Trinity Sunday, and the Body and Blood of Christ.
In the first group of Sundays, a similarity can be noted in all three cycles. It is the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, the announcement of his mission, and the calling together of the first disciples. We shall have to deal with the placement of the Cana gospel from John on the second Sunday, and will find that it acts like a fulcrum between the Christmas season and Ordinary time: it feels, in fact, like a second celebration of the Epiphany!
General observations. The epic literature of the classic period begins with a statement of theme. Arma virumque cano/Trojae qui primus ab oris... begins the Aeneid of the Roman poet Virgil. "I sing of arms and a man," and his bloody epic of the founding of Rome, rooted in the great mythical heroes of the Trojan war, is launched. The values and destiny of the Roman empire are embodied in this tale of the journey of its hero Aeneas.
The epic lessons are not lost on the educated hellenist whom we call Luke, the author of the third gospel. If we exclude for a moment the genealogy and infancy narratives, the beginning of the gospel is heard on the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. Jesus himself announces the theme of this epic in a synagogue at Nazareth: "The Spirit of God is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to captives, the restoration of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord." Then Jesus quietly begins his homily, to be finished next Sunday: "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Thus, rooted in the prophetic tradition of Israel, a new journey is begun. And people's reaction is immediate: they throw Jesus out of town. God's revolution is begun, and it is clearly going to have casualties. This work of God in Jesus will be to strike at the injustices of both human (rich and poor, tribe and outsider, master and servant) and demonic (sickness, death, and sin) origin, and replace them with the reign of healing and mercy, the reign of God.
Gathering rites. So what effect will the proclamation of this third gospel have on the way we gather? Immediately, it should call our attention to the non-liturgical elements of gathering, the hospitality we show to one another and especially to those whose movement or hearing is impaired. The gospel continues to purify our reasons for gathering, as well as the way we come together on Sunday. We are Christ-Emmanuel made present as gift to the world and sacrifice for its sanctification. We are Christ gathered to praise Abba for forgiveness, healing, and liberation with lives that reflect that worship and make it true, however imperfectly, witnessing to the action of God in the world on behalf of the powerless because we are that action. We have seen it in us, and we bear it to others.
We are also coming to understand how important the introductory rites of the liturgy are, even though they are by nature introductory. They introduce the new relationships of the reign of God. They have us acting for one another from the first moment of our coming together. They make clear that we are given everything by God, and that we are present to continue to make an effort, to act, to serve one another by our participation in song and response. The gathering rites make it clear that we do not just "hear" or "attend" liturgy. God gives. People receive, praise, give thanks. And people give, people do. In liturgy, it all happens at once in story, song, symbol, and gesture. The introductory rites get us off on the right (rite?) foot.
More extensive treatment of the gathering rites can be found in various works in GIA's "Ritual Music" series, e.g., The Church Gathers by Marty Haugen and Gary Daigle, and Praise the Maker's Love by Gary Daigle. But an example of what has been done in my parish in ordinary time of this cycle may help stimulate some ideas for you.
At St. Jerome, we began with a song appropriate to this lectionary year and its themes; for purposes of this example, think of "In Christ There Is No East or West" or "Come to Us," a hymn of mine from Glory and Praise--Comprehensive Edition (GPC). The former hymn is familiar, or should be, in all parishes, with its soaring lines proclaiming universal kinship in Christ's service; the latter is a song of invitation that allows the assembly to name itself as the presence of Christ on the journey of life, a journey open to all seekers. Following the opening hymn, the sign of cross and ritual greeting are exchanged, which themselves are followed by the presider's invitation to consider the events since our last Eucharist in the light of gospel. We then sing Darryl Ducote's simple penitential rite (also found in GPC, but transposed into a key appropriate to the hymn), with a minister speaking the invocations of Form C over simple music as his setting instructs. Then, after the presider says the formula "May almighty God have mercy on you...", we sing another strain of the opening hymn. Then the opening prayer is proclaimed, sometimes with a quiet musical subtext.
Every Sunday is not the same. Sometimes we sing the Glory to God even during Ordinary Time. But with a few adaptations and some prayerful thought and planning by liturgical ministers, the introductory rites will not be perfunctory but will truly gather us to celebrate the Word of God and the meal of Jesus. When this happens, the work of Luke's Jesus continues in our day!
Liturgy of the Word. Choose four or five new psalm settings for this year. Choose versatile versions which can be done beautifully in unison or with festive options like choral harmony and parts for other instruments. The responsorial psalm is not a "response" to the first reading: it is "responsorial" because it has a dialogical form--the assembly have a proclamation and "response" relationship in the psalm itself. The responsorial psalm is, in a more obvious way than the other scriptures, the assembly's proclamation of the Word of God. This is why it is so important.
Psalm 103 (proper to week 7, it's common lectionary refrain is "The Lord is kind and merciful") would be an appropriate psalm for the C cycle, especially on the Sundays which look at healing and forgiveness in the ministry of Jesus and the stories of our faith. Psalm 91 ("Be with me when I am in trouble") and Psalm 116 ("I will walk in the presence of God in the land of the living") and other psalms of lament will also be appropriate. Psalm 146, a hallel psalm or psalm of praise, is clear in its doxology that God is praised as a healer, liberator, and friend of the poor. A version of this will be most useful in this cycle. Psalms 19 and 119, both proper to this cycle, are songs of praise of the law and commandments, and can be used on other weeks especially when the gospel is discursive or contains a "teaching" of Jesus. Psalm 66 (proper to week 14 and common to the Easter season), with its antiphon "Let all the earth cry out to God with joy", reinforces the Lucan theme of the universality of the reign of God, and can be appropriate whenever that motif emerges.
Use the new psalm over a period of weeks, interspersed with the appropriate "proper" psalms when one appears which is part of your permanent repertoire. Next year, these four new psalms which you have chosen will be part of that repertoire. Gradually, we will build an all-inclusive psalter for Eucharist of well-constructed works written for the liturgy of the word. It doesn't have to be done overnight: we have forever to accomplish this work!
The Liturgy of the Eucharist. Not enough can be said about the effort to restore the Eucharistic prayer as an action of the whole assembly, with its various ministers taking appropriate parts. Marty Haugen, Michael Joncas, Gary Daigle and others have begun the important work of the reform of this element of musical liturgy. Haugen's new setting of Eucharistic Prayer II, with appropriate parts for cantor and assembly, is a good example of what can be done in a parish with limited musical resources. But pastoral musicians should be aware that this central prayer of the Eucharist needs our attention. Together with liturgy planning teams, it should be studied and action taken on a local level to make the prayer become an integral part of the assembly's action, to remove it from the realm of spectacle (generally, a boring one at that.)
Two simple steps can be taken toward this goal. First, the acclamations of the prayer (Holy, Memorial Acclamation, and Amen) should be sung from the same setting or at least in the same style (and key/mode) in a particular liturgy. Second, having studied the prayer and learned about its structure, more acclamations of praise and petition, based on the same musical material as the main acclamations, should be introduced into the presider's proclamation at appropriate moments. These can be tied together by a simple musical subtext, always supporting the text of the prayer. A third step, that is, of everyone's keeping a standing posture throughout the prayer from the dialogue before the preface through the Amen, will also help both in attention to the work of common prayer and participation in the acclamations, but will take more lengthy catechesis. There is some excellent material available in the Canadian bishops' conference newsletter regarding this practice, which can be helpful in introducing it in a parish.
Songs. The last time we celebrated this cycle of the lectionary, I introduced four new songs during the course of the year: "Gather Us In" and "Healer of Our Every Ill" by Marty Haugen, and two which I composed for the cycle, "Canticle of the Turning" and "Jerusalem, My Destiny." With a wealth of material new and old available to the church, pastoral musicians have the blessing and responsibility to be selective. Trying to do too much new material is counterproductive. It is not necessary that we do a new song every Sunday that is perfect for the "theme" or the readings. Because, for instance, a familiar passage from 1 Corinthians is the second reading on the early Sundays this year does not mean that we need to use a song, old or new, which is based on that text. On the contrary, let the readings, especially the second one if it is used, speak for itself. Let the hymn/song selection reflect the theme of the whole gospel, or of the section we are reading from over a period of weeks. You will find that this approach to song selection is much simpler, and allows you to repeat new songs and less familiar old ones over a period of weeks until they become familiar.
What follows are some specific ideas for the Sundays and feasts covered by this article. They are what I have used in previous years, and therefore are necessarily slanted by what repertoire I am familiar with and what my assembly uses for a worship aid. Perhaps the ideas will be useful for you in stimulating your musical imagination toward making choices for these rich and challenging Sundays.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. Though it may seem that the relationship of God and people is more like the "War of the Roses" than a wedding feast, it is this latter image which scripture relentlessly places before us. It will not be lost on many in the assembly, and should not be lost on the homilist or musician. The story of Cana from John's gospel is one of the great signs which are a call to faith in Jesus and show forth his "glory," that is, God's presence in him. It follows Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord in its call (with the first reading today and the psalm) to all people to see the coming of God's reign. We see it in the joy of wedding banquets, in the presence lovers are to each other, and we see it in Jesus. Your local colonel in the Blue Army may approach you to see in the gospel a proof text of Marian interventionism. Calmly, you will explain that no one, not even his mother, is more more merciful, more forgiving, or more loving than the glorified Jesus, "extraordinary revelations" notwithstanding.
Make a big deal of the food in today's liturgy, especially the wine, and make sure it is available to everyone.
Musical ideas
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. You might use Dameans' familiar "He Has Anointed Me" as the heart of the gospel proclamation today, singing the two verses and refrain after the deacon/gospel reader says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me." After it is sung (verses by cantor, all on refrain), the reader continues, "Rolling up the scroll..." to the end of the reading.
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The rejection of the prophet's message, and God's upholding of the prophet, are at heart of the word today.
Psalm 30 "I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me" could be a substitute for today's psalm.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. This Sunday's motif is on the call of persons to do God's work and their response to that call. A hymn at the end of the homily might be appropriate, perhaps even Billy Graham's trademark altar call hymn, "Just As I Am" or some other gospel favorite. Psalm 40 ("Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will") would be an appropriate alternate responsorial psalm.
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The gospel today is the God's "preferential option for the poor." There is no spiritualization of poverty in Luke. In the experience of poverty, hunger, and persecution, there it is that God is experienced. See last week's music selections, and keep working at connecting the weeks to each other. "Mary's Song" or some other responsorial version of the canticle of Mary could be an alternation psalm for today.
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. The gospel today is so timely: the gospel of nonviolence. What an extraordinary opportunity to address global issues, to pay homage to those men and women who, in our own time, have kept this gospel alive by living its fearsome implications to their everlasting glory! The Prayer of St. Francis, in any of its musical incarnations, might be a fitting close to the homily today. Some of these include "Make Me A Channel of Your Peace" by Sebastian Temple, "Peace Prayer" by John Foley, S.J., and "People of Peace," by Carey Landry, and "Without You," by Tom Kendzia.
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Human persons fully alive: this is the goal of the Christian life. Liturgy's call to conversion is to make us actually practice or rehearse what we say we believe. Jesus and Sirach articulate in today's liturgy of the word the call to a holistic spirituality, one in which the lifestyle of the believer reflects the words we say with our mouths. Beautiful song texts can touch the hearts of the singer in much the same way that scripture does: liturgical musicians should pay close attention to the words we put into peoples' mouths. Beauty and truth will beget beauty and truth. Or, to paraphrase "Music in Catholic Worship," "Good celebrations and good music nourish faith, bad celebrations and music weaken and destroy faith."
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The image of the journey is prominent in scriptures today. Make something of the processions: be sure that they include more persons than just vested ministers. Using Psalm 122 as a processional hymn, and processing only during the refrains, can call attention to the movement and its symbolism. Some include Marty Haugen's from "Psalms for the Church Year," and Alexander Peloquin's from "Songs of Israel II."
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. God's power in us is given to empower others. Isaiah's image of God's bounty being like the milky nourishment flowing from a nursing mother's breast is earthy and provoking: in the same way, God's life gives us strength to empower others. And the gift goes on and on, ever outward in widening circles of grace.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Maybe this Sunday, if you don't do it on a weekly basis, have people introduce themselves to someone they don't know before beginning the liturgy. The gospel seems to make clear that before personal piety and ritual purity (personified in the priest and Levite) comes the work of charity to the person in need. That person may be sitting next to you. Love is an action for Christians, neither an emotion nor a spiritual ideal.
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Again, attention to the person--genuine hospitality--is shown to be a sacrament of divine presence. Continue to work on the introductory rites and the activities which precede them as opportunities to ritualize hospitality, and open doors to possible futures in the lives of the assembly.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Sing the general intercessions today and the Our Father, if you don't every week. These pieces will support the invitation to prayer we hear in the gospel and the story of Abraham's intercession for Sodom in the Hebrew scriptures. If, however, you are singing a Eucharistic prayer with an intercessory litany in the latter half, you may find that singing the intercessions is overkill. Speaking the intercessions is, in fact, overkill. Give preference to the Eucharistic prayer.
Feast of the Presentation If the liturgy begins with the blessing of candles and procession, the opening hymn might be obvious in the assembly's repertoire, perhaps John Foley's "The Lord Is My Light" or the Damean's "Light in the Darkness." The processional might then be the Glory to God, perhaps even Proulx's "Gloria for Christmastime" with the refrain from "Angels We Have Heard on High."
Trinity Sunday Today's liturgy might begin with the singing of the Glory to God, which is structured as a hymn to the triune God. It might also begin or end with a "traditional" hymn with a doxology, for instance, Old Hundredth, "Holy, Holy, Holy," or "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name." All of the readings stress the action of God as love poured out on the world on behalf of people. The heart of the feast is not theology, but the self-gift of God. It is a feast of love.
Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Obviously, as with the Holy Thursday celebration, this feast will be cerebral if attention is not paid to the action of Eucharist in the Eucharistic prayer, fraction, and communion rite, and in the symbols of bread and wine themselves. If you can be satisfied with minimal participation and minimalistic bread and wine today, then it doesn't matter what music you use anyway. Pay attention to the basic symbols, then use a sung Eucharistic prayer (or additional acclamations as described above) and a substantial fraction rite (like "Jesus, Lamb of God" from Mass of Creation, or my "As We Remember"). As that great liturgical musician Ray Charles has said, "Ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby."