Candlemas

Today is the Feast of Candlemas, or the Presentation of the Lord also known as the Purification. It commemorates the Presentation of the Child Jesus by His parents, Joseph and Mary at the Temple. St. Simeon, who received the child and the gifts they brought, said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace According to Thy word! For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation Which Thou has prepared before the face of all peoples To be a light to the Gentiles, And to be the glory of Thy people, Israel."

It is sung every night as part of Compline and was set to Polyphony by Orlando Gibbons. The St. Ann Choir sang this as part of the Requiem Masses for both of my parents, Helen Rose Manor and Frederick James Manor. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I have ever sung or heard.

The Nunc Dimittis was also featured as voice over music in the BBC production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I remember sitting cross-legged on the floor trying to tape record it from the television when it was first on. Not a very successful enterprise. I see now, via another blog, Desperate Irish Housewife, that it is up on YouTube (of course). For her link, go here http://desperateirishhousewife.blogspot.com/2008/03/nunc-dimittis.html

The Feast itself brings back memories of singing a glorious liturgy with a candlelight procession at Stanford Memorial Church in the mid-seventies. The chant for this feast is especially beautiful. It was the experience with this liturgy and this choir that led me to graduate school at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Now I feel that technology has brought my life full circle as I blog about these experiences and post these links. I am grateful and only regret that I cannot participate tonight in the Mass the choir is singing at another church than Mem Chu. I wish they would make Podcasts.

Wednesday of Holy Week

I am finding that I almost do not miss the television. The quiet in the house is profound. Right now the loudest sound is the refrigerator and then the slight click, click made by the computer keyboard and the occasional whir of the little hard drive on my laptop.

Tulips grace my kitchen counter, a gift from a friend who came yesterday bring me communion and to wish me a Happy Easter. Today my pastor visited and also brought communion as well as the anointing of the sick. I am so blessed that I am almost happy today and the depression, which normally weighs me down almost as much as my weight, seems to be at bay. Sunshine flooding the house helps, too, of course.

Safeway delivered my groceries and paper products today. Last night as I made the order I felt, for the second time in a month, that I was personally floating the economy out of the recession! Everything is so much more expensive than it used to be. One thing caught my eye--eggs that have been pasteurized. More expensive, but possibly worth it if a salmonella infection can be bypassed. They come in a plastic carton though. I do hope that it is recyclable--and will be tempted to find some use for it. Cute plastic containers and boxes always are hard to part with because I think that I will find some use for them. Recycling takes the edge off of throwing them out--but not completely.

Tonight is Tenebrae, the service in which the Lamentations of Jeremiah feature in the service and the lights are turned out, preparing for the darkness that shrouded the world on the afternoon of Good Friday. I will listen to a recording tonight and be present in thought with those who sing this beautiful service with its splendid music.

Jeremiah is my kind of prophet, too. Reluctant and having to be dragged into his vocation, if I recall at one time he went and hid in a well. Hmmm. Maybe I need to remember more about him and see if there aren't some parallels here.

A blessed mid-week of Holy Week to all.

The Feast of St. Ann

Another thing about me that is most important is that I am a Catholic, raised before Vatican II, who still loves the traditions, liturgy and Gregorian chant that I knew in my childhood. The rosary is not merely a pretty string of beads, but a comforting prayer. The saints are not just dead people who lived a long time ago, but my friends whom I speak to frequently. Angels play a role in my life. Candles and incense have a place in my devotions and novenas are a comfortable way to mark days of intercession for family and friends as well as for my own needs.

Most of all I love the resonant Latin of my childhood, the beauty and mystery of Mass, Vespers and Benediction. One of the most important experiences in my life was singing in a Gregorian Chant Choir during the foundational early years of my adulthood. We were interested in monasticism and how the Divine Office could be incorporated into the life of lay people. On Sundays, in addition to singing Mass, we also sang Vespers, ate dinner together and finished the evening with Compline. That experience led to my decision to study at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, a momentous experience in my life.

So today I share that I am Catholic and that this is the feast of St. Ann, one of my favorite days of the year. From the Introit to the Communion the chant is beautiful and the Epistle reading is about the role of the good woman from Proverbs.

Technically now it is the Feast of St Ann and St Joachim and that is all right with me. After all a child raised by two parents is more blessed than one with only one parent. Since St Ann has been known colloquially as the "Grandmother of God", I wonder does this new tradition make St Joachim, the "Grandfather of God"? I hope so; I like the idea since grandfathers as well as grandmothers are important figures in our lives. It is appropriate to honor the fathers as well as the mothers in our lives.

For more of my thoughts about St. Ann, please see my Squidoo lens

http://www.squidoo.com/saintann/