Bread
of Angels
Before I get to the
subject of today’s liturgical notes I need to share how Anita and I became
friends and how she helped me to discover an important lesson.
On Pentecost Saturday in
1991 I walked to the microphone intending teach the people a new hymn: “One
Spirit, One Church.” (#419) I began as
follows: “What I like about this
song is how it fuses an traditional hymn (Come Holy
Ghost) with a new musical composition (the refrain).
As I looked to the right
I saw Anita sitting in the far corner of first row. “This is
important (I continued) because we don’t want to throw
out what is old, but rather honor it with new possibilities.”
Anita’s smile accentuated
her wrinkles as our eyes met. I wasn’t talking about a song. I was speaking about
her.
Last week, on the
Solemnity of Corpus Christi I introduced a similar song; Curtis Stephan’s
“Bread of Angels.” (#367) The verses, composed in 2002 speak of Jesus in the
Eucharist and as the Word of God. The refrain sets St. Thomas Aquinas’ latin
text to a melody that cleverly begins exactly like Cesar Franck’s classic
version.
During last week’s choir
rehearsal I shared my reason for picking this song: honoring the memories of those who grew up
with a latin mass while appealing to the musical tastes of more recent
generations. I explained how the
Solemnity of Corpus Christi focuses on Christ’s presence in:
1. The Eucharist
2. You and I as the Body
of Christ
3. The Communion of
Saints
Ironically, I did not
share the story of Anita at that time. Just the lesson she helped me
learn.
Today we will be using
Bread of Angels at the part of the liturgy where it is most appropriate -
communion. I’ll be thinking of my dear friend who for years would greet me with
a raspy, “Hello Bruce, you got some good music for us tonight?”
Anita
moved to an assisted living facility near her children sometime around 2000. I
was honored to play and sing at her funeral at my home parish of St. Dominick’s
several years later.
See you
at the resurrection, Anita!
Bruce
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