Sing to the Lord
Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:
share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.
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When I walked into my parish Sunday, I felt a little dejected.
Firstly, they required a face mask. Due to some health challenges, I’m exempt from wearing one, per our government ordinance. But I was still nervous about making other people nervous, should they notice my uncovered face.
Secondly, the sign on our church entryway doesn’t align with the spirituality I grew up with. The message is painted in at least two places around the church, with a version of the following sentiment: “You are entering the house of God, please enter in respectful quiet.”
When I first met our pastor, I explained that if I were commissioned to write the sign, it would say, “You are entering the house of God, make a joyful noise!”
The church was mostly empty. I sat in the very back. Thankfully I was far enough from anyone that it didn’t make a difference to remove my mask. Up at the front, the cantor led us in a clear, strong, Broadway-type voice. “Sing to the Lord,” stood out to me from the psalm. The homily was about, guess what? Mask wearing.
Then we came to the Presentation of Gifts. The liturgical band started playing Matt Maher’s “Lord, I Need You.” Since I was seated so far from everyone else, and due to the church’s amphitheater shape, I felt free to sing with my full voice, with my head thrown back and hands raised high.
Instantly, I was reminded of another moment a few years ago, when I sang the same song. I was in Indianapolis, in a similar posture with my hands raised, in a group of 20,000 teens. I stood at the foot of the stage, where I had just performed. It was Matt Maher’s turn on stage. My friends and I sang along with joy. There were so many people crowded together that we couldn’t leave without a bodyguard!
When I blinked back to the present at my home parish, I looked around at sparsely-filled pews and a masked congregation. It was quite the contrast between my memory of the Lucas Oil stadium, where the instruction was to “make some noise!” and where people were packed into one, giant, singing, shouting crowd. Yet, it was comforting to know that I was singing to the same God.
The joy I felt in a stadium in Indiana was still offered to me in the midst of a pandemic in Arizona.
Can you think of a time when you were connected with a huge crowd of people in song? Maybe it was at a concert, or at church on Christmas, or at a sporting event. I’ll invite you to join me in reclaiming that joy today. And whether out loud or whether in the quiet of recollection, may our hearts continue to sing to the Lord.
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