August 26, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

August 26, 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Entrance: Come and journey with a Savior (GC 686, vs. 1, 2, 6)
Psalm: 117—Go out to all the world (C91)
Presentation: The Cloud’s Veil (GC 619)
Communion: I am the Bread of Life (GC 822)
Closing: Here I am, Lord (GC 671)

There are weeks when the music selected for a given set of liturgies is a subtle blending of theological implication, cross-seasonal correspondence, filled with underlying meaning which, though it may not be immediately discernable, nonetheless works upon the unconcious mind of the participant and leads them to deeper understanding of the Paschal Mystery.

This...isn't one of those weeks. :-)

The readings are fairly straightforward: In the first reading, Isaiah proclaims God's glory to all the nations and the return of all nations to Jerusalem. The psalm calls us to "go out to the world and tell the good news." The epistle to the Hebrews implores us to take the discipline of God as a source of strength, and not of sorrow or disdain. And the Gospel is the one about the infamous Narrow Gate (side note: I must have been a senior in college on the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, because I distinctly remember the new chaplain preaching this homily at the orientation liturgy and using the phrase "Narrow Door" about seven hundred times; we joked about it all year. That was the same day I had dinner with Paul Sorvino, whose daughter Amanda was starting at CUA as a freshman, and I was probably the only person there who had never seen any of his movies...what can I say, I was a piano student, I didn't get out much. But I digress.) where Jesus tells many of those who thought they knew him that in fact the last will be first and the first last.

The readings for autumn of Cycle C are exceedingly Doldrummy. Hardest ones to choose music for of the whole Lectionary. Every three years I'm tearing my hair out until blessed Advent.

The opening hymn was chosen for two reasons, one deep, one not: First, it has the element of journeying outward and inward, evoking the journey of the Isaiah reading and the unity in Jerusalem to which it calls us--as well as the calling together of all the nations at the end of the Gospel passage. Second...well, we haven't done it for a while, and I wanted to get it back on the lips of the people. It's a good song, and I tend to forget about it sometimes.

Presentation is actually more of a carry-over from last week, since Cloud's Veil also hasn't been on the lips of the people much lately, for no particular reason, and it's a great song. But it also is intended to echo the Hebrews reading with its call for comfort and trust in the face of difficulty. The choice of "I am the bread of life" for Communion was directly from the Communion Antiphon posed as an alternate for the week: John 6:54, "The Lord says, the one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever; I shall raise him to life on the last day." This is one of those cases where we happen to have a corresponding hymn in our repertoire, so there it is.

For closing we're doing "Here I am;" In a lot of ways "Go to the world" (SINE NOMINE, the tune from "For all the Saints") would be more directly appropriate for the readings of the week, and I do kind of hope the Sunday 5pm uses Ed Bolduc's "Go out in the world" song for their closing, but there's enough not-quite-familiar music this week that I wanted to close with an also appropriate oldy-moldy that everyone can sing with their eyes shut, and one which also evokes the coming forward of those who were formerly somewhere out in the darkness, and their sending back into the difficulties of the world.

peace,
Jennifer