My favorite Easter homily comes from the great Eastern saint, John Chrysostom (347-407). As priest and later Archbishop of Constantinople he was known for the eloquence of his preaching, earning the title Chrysostom (golden-mouthed).
The homily (below) is followed by a clip from J. S. Bach's (1685-1750) great Easter Cantata, Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in the bonds of death). This cantata's text and melody are based upon the Easter Sequence Victimae Paschali laudes (Praise the Paschal Victim). The homily and music...written 1300 years apart by the greatest Orthodox preacher and the most gifted Lutheran musician, seem to make a nice combination.
Happy Easter!
An Easter Homily by Saint John Chrysostom
Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary from fasting? Let them now receive their due!
If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their reward.
If any have come after the third hour, let them with gratitude join in the feast!
Those who arrived after the sixth hour,let them not doubt; for they shall not be short-changed.
Those who have tarried until the ninth hour, let them not hesitate; but let them come too.
And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first. The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour, even as to those who toiled from the beginning. To one and all the Lord gives generously. The Lord accepts the offering of every work. The Lord honors every deed and commends their intention.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike, receive your reward.
Rich and poor, rejoice together!
Conscientious and lazy, celebrate the day!
You who have kept the fast, and you who have not, rejoice, this day, for the table is bountifully spread!
Feast royally, for the calf is fatted.
Let no one go away hungry.
Partake, all, of the banquet of faith.
Enjoy the bounty of the Lord's goodness!
Let no one grieve being poor, for the universal reign has been revealed.
Let no one lament persistent failings, for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free.
The Lord has destroyed death by enduring it. The Lord vanquished hell when he descended into it. The Lord put hell in turmoil even as it tasted of his flesh. Isaiah foretold this when he said, “You, O Hell, were placed in turmoil when he encountering you below.”
Hell was in turmoil having been eclipsed.
Hell was in turmoil having been mocked.
Hell was in turmoil having been destroyed.
Hell was in turmoil having been abolished.
Hell was in turmoil having been made captive.
Hell grasped a corpse, and met God.
Hell seized earth, and encountered heaven.
Hell took what it saw, and was overcome by what it could not see.
O death, where is your sting? O hell, where is your victory?
Christ is risen, and you are cast down!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life is set free!
Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead.
For Christ, having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Christ be glory and power forever and ever. Amen!
Below is the fifth movement of Christ lag in Todesbanden as sung by the gifted ensemble Cantus Cölln.
It was a strange battle where death and life struggled. Life won the victory, it has swallowed up death. Scripture has proclaimed how one death ate the other, death has become a mockery. Alleluia!(English translation for the fifth movement from www.bach-cantatas.com)
And, because it is such a wonderful piece of music, here is the first half of the cantata.
Christ lay in death's bonds handed over for our sins, he is risen again and has brought us life For this we should be joyful, praise God and be thankful to him and sing alleluia, Alleluia
Catholic News Service (CNS) published a brief story yesterday marking the twentieth anniversary of the death of Sr. Thea Bowman. She spent much of her life helping African-Americans through her ministry of education and music.
Weeks before her untimely death from cancer at age 52, she dictated a text about Holy Week for publication in the Jackson (MS) diocesan newspaper. Here is the text below as published by CNS.
Let us resolve to make this week holy by claiming Christ's redemptive grace and by living holy lives. The Word became flesh and redeemed us by his holy life and holy death. This week especially, let us accept redemption by living grateful, faithful, prayerful, generous, just and holy lives.
Let us resolve to make this week holy by reading and meditating (on) holy Scripture. So often, we get caught up in the hurry of daily living. As individuals and as families, reserve prime time to be with Jesus, to hear the cries of the children waving palm branches, to see the Son of Man riding on an ass' colt, to feel the press of the crowd, to be caught up in the "Hosannas" and to realize how the cries of acclamation will yield to the garden of suffering, to be there and watch as Jesus is sentenced by Pilate to Calvary, to see him rejected, mocked, spat upon, beaten and forced to carry a heavy cross, to hear the echo of the hammer, to feel the agony of the torn flesh and strained muscles, to know Mary's anguish as he hung three hours before he died.
We recoil before the atrocities of war, gang crime, domestic violence and catastrophic illness. Unless we personally and immediately are touched by suffering, it is easy to read Scripture and to walk away without contacting the redemptive suffering that makes us holy. The reality of the Word falls on deaf ears.
Let us take time this week to be present to someone who suffers. Sharing the pain of a fellow human will enliven Scripture and help us enter into the holy mystery of the redemptive suffering of Christ.
Let us resolve to make this week holy by participating in the Holy Week services of the church, not just by attending, but also by preparing, by studying the readings, entering into the spirit, offering our services as ministers of the Word or Eucharist, decorating the church or preparing the environment for worship.
Let us sing, "Lord, have mercy," and "Hosanna." Let us praise the Lord with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength, uniting with the suffering church throughout the world -- in Rome and Northern Ireland, in Syria and Lebanon, in South Africa and Angola, India and China, Nicaragua and El Salvador, in Washington and Jackson.
Let us break bread together; let us relive the holy and redemptive mystery. Let us do it in memory of him, acknowledging in faith his real presence upon our altars.
Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy within our families, sharing family prayer on a regular basis, making every meal a holy meal where loving conversations bond family members in unity, sharing family work without grumbling, making love not war, asking forgiveness for past hurts and forgiving one another from the heart, seeking to go all the way for love as Jesus went all the way for love.
Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy with the needy, the alienated, the lonely, the sick and afflicted, the untouchable.
Let us unite our sufferings, inconveniences and annoyances with the suffering of Jesus. Let us stretch ourselves, going beyond our comfort zones to unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work.
We unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God's healing, God's forgiveness, God's unconditional love.
Let us be practical, reaching out across the boundaries of race and class and status to help somebody, to encourage and affirm somebody, offering to the young an incentive to learn and grow, offering to the downtrodden resources to help themselves.
May our fasting be the kind that saves and shares with the poor, that actually contacts the needy, that gives heart to heart, that touches and nourishes and heals.
During this Holy Week when Jesus gave his life for love, let us truly love one another.
This is what the liturgy teaches us!
I was going to post this famous setting of Ubi caritas by French composer Maurice Durufle (1902-86) tomorrow, but since Sr. Thea signed off with those words, it seems fitting today. The English text is below the video.
Where charity and love are, there God is.
The love of Christ has gathered us into one flock. Let us exult, and in Him be joyful. Let us fear and let us love the living God. And from a sincere heart let us love each other.
Therefore, whensoever we are gathered as one: Lest we in mind be divided, let us beware. Let cease malicious quarrels, let strife give way. And in the midst of us be Christ our God.
Together also with the blessed may we see, Gloriously, Thy countenance, O Christ our God: A joy which is immense, and also approved: Through infinite ages of ages.Amen.
Tonight we will celebrate the Chrism Mass in the Diocese of Madison. The Chrism Mass is proper to Holy Thursday but may be moved to another day near Easter "if it is difficult for the clergy and the people to assemble with their bishop on Holy Thursday morning" (Ceremonial of Bishops, 275).
The liturgy takes its name from the Chrism that is consecrated at the Mass. The Oil of the Sick and Oil of Catechumens are blessed as well. These oils are taken directly to each parish from the Mass and by week's end, many of them will have seen their first use.
The word "Chrism" comes from "Christ." This olive oil, perfumed with balsam and other scents, is anointed on the hands of priests at their ordination, poured onto altars and rubbed into walls of new churches at their dedication, traced in the form of a cross on people being confirmed as well as on the heads of babies at their baptism. It is yet another sign of Christ, reminding us that the priest stands "in the person of Christ;" that the altar--where the Sacrifice of Christ is re-presented--is itself a reminder of Christ; and that the church building itself stands as a witness to Christ in the community. It is used in baptism and confirmation to remind us all that we are "priests, prophets and kings" and that we are anointed in the Spirit preparing for a life of strenuous witness to God.
The Chrism Mass itself, "manifests the communion of the presbyters with their bishop...[and is] a clear expression of the unity of the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, which continue to be present in the Church" (Ceremonial of Bishops, 274).
Unity is vital to the Church ("the essence of the Church" according to the Catechism). It is of such importance that it was on the mind of Jesus as he prayed in the Garden.
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:20-23)
Unfortunately, unity clearly is lacking in many aspects of Church life. Unity, like much of our faith, is difficult because God is the granter of unity (we can't make it happen on our own) but he wills our participation in this great work (he doesn't do it without us). He continuously provides us with models, most especially in the sending of his Son to become like us in all things but sin and to suffer, die and rise for us.
In my opinion unity today often takes on the form of "if you come to me we will be united." For Christians, we must always be willing to take the initiative (again and again, if necessary). It doesn't mean we compromise the Truths of our faith. It simply means that we follow Christ's example.
He is the Word that brings salvation. He is the hand you stretch out to sinners. He is the way that leads to your peace. (Eucharistic Prayer, Mass of Reconciliation II)
Following up on the oil theme, I have selected an excerpt from Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms as today's Holy Week choral selection.In this movement he combines a lush setting of Psalm 23 with a frenetic setting of Psalm 2. (The entire work is set in Hebrew.) I have often thought that the solo for boy soprano at the beginning of this music is one of the most sublime pieces ever written.
I am sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks, but I figure that most of the people who view this blog (and your numbers are over a dozen, if you count my family!) are also pretty busy this Lent.
Now we come to our high holy days. The mysteries that we celebrate have inspired some of the greatest choral music throughout history. I hope to find time this week to highlight some of these compositions (some old favorites, some that may be new to you). You can play them on your desktop while you're furiously finishing all of the other things that you need to do during Holy Week. I hope it helps all of us stay focused!
Below is a recording of cellist and composer Pablo Casals' O vos omnes. Casals (1876-1973) had a strong personality and, one story goes, that when asked at age 93 why he still practices the cello he responded, "Because I am beginning to see some improvement."
His sacred choral music is on the fringe of the standard repertoire--you hear it performed, but not often. This piece is probably the most popular and is sung by some larger and more proficient church choirs. The translation is:
O you people who pass by, behold and see: if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. Behold, all people, and see my sorrow if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.
The video below is not much to look at, but it is well sung.
Welcome to the blog for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison Office of Worship. We hope that this is useful for all those who prepare the liturgy for the people of God.
