Second Sunday of Advent edition!

We attended the traditionally German parish with the efficient liturgies – a priest whose picture is next to "Low Key" in the dictionary, a fabulous organist but a music minister (the organist? I really don’t know) who selects music that is mostly not awful, but considering the skills of the organist and the regular cantor (both excellent), could be so, so much more.

The music…let me see. I think the offertory and closing hymns were on the tradition end of Advent hymnody, but the opening was Holy Darkness by Dan Schutte and the Communion – I can’t remember. Not particularly eucharistic.  Mass parts were not Missa Emmanuel (that’s at the other place) but were something equally unsingable, I’m not sure the setting. You see, if I weren’t constantly pulling new tricks out the proverbial bag throughout all of Mass, I’d be able to concentrate better on these things.

The homily used the London subway bombings as an opening – the fact that it had been announced that London was getting the 2012 Summer Olympics right before the bombings. The homily then followed on the theme of highs and lows, and that when we are in a low period we can look forward to God’s presence making it right, or something. I’m interested to know if anyone else heard that opening story – I sometimes wonder how much of what I hear is from homily helps resources – which, I hasten to add, I don’t have a problem with, depending on the nature of the resource.

No Advent wreath ceremony, which I didn’t realize until this morning – I guess there’s one up there, but I’m not too sure. There’s one other Mass before the one we attended – Saturday evening – so if there is a wreath, I assume he did the blessing then. Which makes sense, because to bless something 3 or 4 times a weekend makes no sense.

My daughter attended a later Mass at our parish and reported the closing song was Peace is Flowing LIke a River. I….suppose.