Friday, December 12, 2014

Picking A Favorite Is Impossible.

Someone asks what of the settings of the Magnificat which I've been posting is my favorite.  None of them, I love most of them.  If I had to single one out it would be the Kreyòl version performed with religious dance by those young women.

Since this week is the anniversary of my mother's passing,  one of her great sources of pride and pleasure was the diversity of culture contained in Catholicism.  In her late years she was in the habit of watching the daily mass on TV, with various priests and congregations from the Boston area and beyond. Irish, of course, French Canadian, of course, but also Polish,  Ruthenian and Maronite (if I recall correctly), Portuguese, various Latino nationalities, as I recall at least one from Vietnam and a signing priest who brought his deaf congregation with him.   One of her favorites was a Haitian priest with a wonderful stentorian delivery and a surprising accent.  I heard him give one of the most succinct homilies I've ever heard.  If it was five sentences long I'd be surprised. It pointed out how Jesus, in one of his miracles, asked the man if he wanted to be healed.  The point of the homily was that Jesus respected the freedom of even those he healed, making it contingent on their choice.

It is a lot easier for me to pick the ones I don't find work than it would be for me to pick what is the best.  There are versions I've heard which, due to their being more show biz than spiritual, I won't post.  I can't imagine them inspiring anyone to think of the words, what they mean and lead them to put them into effect.   But, thankfully, there aren't too many of those.

As I said, I could post five a day and just barely scratch the surface.   Since listening to new music I've never heard before is one of my greatest temptations and pleasure, I've loved doing it.  It's like Christmas every day only it's Advent.

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