+ JMJ +
"The chronic, underlying illness of the Church... isn’t prone to quick fixes, and real lay “power” doesn’t reside in money or professional skill or positions of influence... It proceeds from a personal witness of holiness."
Choir, I had been thinking about starting a web page to offer some food for thought on what we do & why we do it. I realized that everything I wanted to say had already been said when I came across this article on the role of the laity in the Church by Francis Maier at The Catholic Thing. I ask you to indulge me in offering a little choir-specific commentary.
That there is an illness in the Church today is a surprise to no one. The surprising part is where the cure lies.
Does God the Spirit live within the Church? Of course. But does not God frequently allow His wayward people to suffer the ill effects of their choices? He does. The problems in the Church are a projection writ large of the war that rages within every human heart. The scandals in the Church echo our own scandalous behavior.
The Church will be holy when we, the people of God, are holy. And we will be holy when we value the things of God above our desire for the passing things of this world or the satisfaction of our own egos. Such self-emptying & purification is not fun, but it is necessary. It is the only ground in which the Seed will take root, grow, & bear fruit.
We do not serve God or help the Church, including the people of Holy Ghost parish, primarily by singing; we do it by our pursuit of holiness.
More to come.
"The chronic, underlying illness of the Church... isn’t prone to quick fixes, and real lay “power” doesn’t reside in money or professional skill or positions of influence... It proceeds from a personal witness of holiness."
Choir, I had been thinking about starting a web page to offer some food for thought on what we do & why we do it. I realized that everything I wanted to say had already been said when I came across this article on the role of the laity in the Church by Francis Maier at The Catholic Thing. I ask you to indulge me in offering a little choir-specific commentary.
That there is an illness in the Church today is a surprise to no one. The surprising part is where the cure lies.
Does God the Spirit live within the Church? Of course. But does not God frequently allow His wayward people to suffer the ill effects of their choices? He does. The problems in the Church are a projection writ large of the war that rages within every human heart. The scandals in the Church echo our own scandalous behavior.
The Church will be holy when we, the people of God, are holy. And we will be holy when we value the things of God above our desire for the passing things of this world or the satisfaction of our own egos. Such self-emptying & purification is not fun, but it is necessary. It is the only ground in which the Seed will take root, grow, & bear fruit.
We do not serve God or help the Church, including the people of Holy Ghost parish, primarily by singing; we do it by our pursuit of holiness.
More to come.