Advent Musical Reflection #3 :: 3rd Week: "Sing About It" The Wood Brothers

Happy Gaudate Sunday! It's my favorite Sunday of the liturgical year. It's the only day of the year we celebrate joy for joy's sake, and that's pretty amazing. Also, the liturgical color is pink. That's awesome.

Weirdly enough, the deacon's homily this morning was pretty much what I was planning on talking about today, so if you happened to be at Sacred Heart this weekend I swear it's not a rip-off. More like great minds.

I chose this song because it is a fantastic, joyful song about pain. As a religion, we've never glossed over the pain in life. Some people can offer some horrific platitudes in times of pain, but we exalt the cross for goodness' sake. In case you forgot because of all the plastic glitter crosses out there, it's an instrument of torture. We have a Savior who felt all our pain as acutely as we did, and do.

Despite this, we have a day like today, where the priest wears pink (or is supposed to) and nearly all the candles on our Advent wreaths are lit. The Light of the World is almost here. We have so many griefs and pains and aches and sadness and anger in our lives. This is the day we look at all those pains and say a resounding "yes, AND," to them. Yes, I am in pain, AND I am joyful about the coming of my Emmanuel. (another both/and situation! What are the odds?)

Of course there are days when this is not possible. There are days out there that are just not going to be better. But there are days that have little bit of light in them. And those days are worth celebrating.

I can't help but dance to this song - it's the most effective use of a melodica ever. In fact, I've never witnessed an effective use of melodica before. So dance to it! And sing about it!

Original image: https://flandin505.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/satx122311-75.jpg

Advent Musical Reflection #2 :: 2nd Week: "Ain't No Man" The Avett Brothers

I'm going to do a weird thing this week - and contradict and not contradict the main idea of this song. How does that even make sense? Well, it's a both/and situation. Yes, that happens. Jesus is both human and divine, so blammo.

Human AND divine, you say? We call it Christ's dual nature, that Jesus was both 100% divine and 100% human. This, of course, makes no sense. Back in the early church several heresies gave alternative views, that Jesus was just divine and his body was an illusion, or he was a man who divinity was given to, or just a cool guy. Eventually, after those theories had been thrown out, people generally understood Jesus as human and divine. Then, around 300, Arius hit the scene.

Arius poked a hole in the rhetoric around Jesus's relationship with the Creator and said that the Son must be a creation of God the Father's, and therefore not eternal. The dogma of Trinity had not yet been fully formed, so he made some headway with his argument. He even had a slogan: "There was a time when the Son was not." (Placher 73) I have a story in my head but I can't find the source (if someone can cite it for me that would be great!) that in Alexandria, people at the marketplace were debating this topic.

Imagine that! While bartering and haggling was happening, the nature of Jesus was being debated. Imagine a world where talking faith and discussing theology was as common as buying bread. Emperor Constantine even got involved in the debate, even though he didn't understand the difference. "Having made a careful inquiry into the origin and foundation of these differences, I find the cause to be of a truly insignificant character, and quite unworthy of such fierce contention." (75) Constantine, probably worried about the unrest, called the Council of Nicea and (now Saint) Athanasius, who was the champion of anti-Arianism was declared the winner and Arius a heretic. Arianism did not quite hit the mark.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/33/af/49/33af491c8d0d1c166d45c95d420a64b5.jpg

Why is it so important? Why did Saint Nicholas punch Arius? Why was the extremely stubborn Saint Athanasius so adamant about the words begotten and of the same substance/consubstantial? (or homoousios in Greek, but that starts a whole other story about the Trinity which is connected but I won't go there for this. But it's super interesting.) So what does all this have to do with an Avett Brothers song?

I hear this song in two parts: the first and third lines, and the rest of it.

There ain't no man can save me

...There ain't no man or men who change the shape my soul is in

That's true, except for one. There is no man or woman (Trump or Clinton) who can save you, or change the shape of your soul, except for one. And that one can save you because he is both human and God. He is begotten or consubstantial or however you would like to say it with our Creator. There was no time when the Son was not. That is something to rely on when there's not much else that can be considered eternal.

There ain't no man can enslave me
...There ain't nobody here 
who can cause me pain or raise my fear
'cause I got only love to share

The rest of the song, lines 2, 4, and beyond. All that is true because of this great mystery of divine and human as one person. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because God first loved us." (1 John 4:18-19) We have the ability to love because our Eternal Creator loved us; we know how to put our love into action because the human Jesus gave us examples.

This song is joyful; Advent is joyful. Advent is our preparation for celebrating this great mystery, something we celebrate every Sunday but commemorate in a special way with Jesus's birth. Another big word (because I didn't give you enough in this post) is Incarnation. That is the word we use for Jesus's birth as both a fully human and fully divine being. God incarnate. This is what I mumble to myself whenever I watch a bad Christmas movie tell me the "real meaning of Christmas" is family, or caring, or warm fuzzy nonsense. It's about the Incarnation. (so, all those things but only because of the Incarnation) It is incredible to consider being loved so much that my Creator wanted to live, die, rise for me. And you. And everybody.

So there are a couple lines I contradict, but I affirm the other lines because of the contradiction to the few. Theology so often works out in that confusing kind of way, but the message of all of this is always the same: you are loved.

If you're looking for truth I'm proof you'll find it there.

original image http://www.stpatrickshamilton.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Advent-Wreath-5.jpg

Placher, William C. A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983.

Advent Musical Reflection #1 :: 1st Week: "Get Ready" The Temptations

The readings today are all about being prepared for the coming of the day of the Lord. The first reading says

"They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again." (Is 2:4)

Exciting prospect, right? We've been through so much fighting lately. We have acts of terrorism being perpetrated every day; the biggest story of the last week was tips on how to have a peaceful post-election Thanksgiving. Or, if you should even try. 

The readings today also call us to joy. The responsorial psalm today is "Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord." (Ps 122) With these thoughts of getting ready with joy, I settled on "Get Ready." Yes, it is definitely a song about pursuing a woman, but if we blink past a few lyrics we have the heart of Advent:

"So, fee-fi-fo-fum
Look out baby, 'cause here I come"

Jesus is coming! Get ready!

"And I'm bringing you a love that's true
So get ready, so get ready
I'm gonna try to make you love me too
So get ready, so get ready 'cause here I come"

Advent is about preparing for the coming of Jesus. It is a penitential season, hence the purple, just like Lent. But it is joyful. When I anticipate something good, I get a gearing-up, rolling-forward feeling right at the base of my ribcage. Advent is that feeling - anticipating not just something good, but the best thing. Our Light of the World, Emmanuel (God-with-us), Divine Love, Savior of the World.

The Sunday after the election the priest giving the homily made sure to talk about our Savior. Our Savior is not a politician. Our Savior is not a winner. Our Savior is not a loser. No person who holds office can save us. No person can save us. Only our God, ever present in perfect, sacrificial love, can save us. That story of salvation starts with the event we are preparing for: The Nativity of the Lord. (one could easily say, and I will agree with you, that salvation history starts long before then. That is true. But I mean, specifically here, the story of Jesus.)

In the song, the singer wants to build anticipation. He wants to race to the object of his affection, and overwhelm her with his eagerness. He still tells her to prepare, however. "Here I come," he says. He's "bringing you a love that's true," and he's "gonna try to make you love me too," but offers no specifics on how she should go about doing that. How does one prepare for that?

There are the questions for reflection: How do you prepare for a love that's true? 

How do you get ready for a love that saves? 

Advent Musical Reflection #4 :: 4th Week: "Shake Me Down" Cage the Elephant

I love this song, guys. And by love, I mean I'm writing a 4-part arrangement of it. And by writing, I mean I started it a year ago and haven't touched it since... but whenever I finish, it will be awesome. I think this song is the perfect cap to my theme in Advent reflections this season, seeking hope. I also highly recommend the actual music video. It's beautiful.

People often reference the origin of the celebration of Christmas when they are feeling snarky about Christianity.Yes, the date of December 25 was chosen because it was the pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice. (the calendar of the time was a bit confused) But there are a lot of pagan celebrations to co-opt, why the Winter Solstice? Because it is the celebration of the sun coming back to the earth. After that date the days start to get longer again. Instead of diminishing each day, the light increases each day. Definitely a day worthy of celebration. Can you think of a better day to celebrate the birth of our Lord?

It's a dark time, and I mean that literally and figuratively. You don't have to go far to hear about another disaster, death, injustice. It is hard to keep your head up when that's what you hear and it literally seems like the sun is never out. I think we have had a fully sunny day once this entire month. Maybe you have better weather where you are, but Chicago has been completely overcast. With only bad news to hear and gray skies to see, it's not hard to stay "with eyes cast down, fixed upon the ground, eyes cast down."

That is the challenge of Advent. To "keep my eyes fixed on the sun." You have to ask yourself what you believe about Jesus. Do you believe that Jesus is truly God and truly human, come to bring light and hope and healing to everyone? Do you believe that Jesus did that for you? For the person you love most? It is the fourth week of Advent. There is no more time to waste. Is your heart ready for the coming of the Son?

A great thing about this song is the end - the repetition of  "even on a cloudy day" takes a phrase that could be dismissed as cliche and makes you listen. It builds to "I keep my eyes fixed on the sun" like a person who has struggled to find hope and is walking with your struggle now. Someone who was "way down had to find a place to lay low" and says "it almost stopped me from believing." A person you might trust when trying to tell you to keep hope.

So keep hope. The Light of the World is coming.

Advent Musical Reflection #3 :: 3rd Week: "Praise You" Fatboy Slim

HAPPY GAUDATE SUNDAY! This is my favorite Sunday of the whole liturgical calendar. Advent is my favorite liturgical season, and Gaudate Sunday is like the climax. I wear pink all week.

I chose this song because in content, it is extremely basic. "We've come a long long way together, through the hard times and the good. I have to celebrate you baby, I have to praise you like I should." That's all the lyrics. Today does not need a lot of words. It just needs a lot of praise! Praise is very simple. It doesn't require lots of fancy words (though you can use them if you want) it just requires giving part of yourself to God. It can be a moment of thankfulness, a gesture, a song, a dance. Any expression of love for our Maker is the praise we are reveling in today.

That's a big reason why I chose this video. I could have gone with a lyric video, but since I put all the lyrics in two sentences earlier it seemed unnecessary. There are two things I love about this video: how terrible all the dancers are, and how committed each of them are to their dance. They may be truly awful but they love what they are doing. Even when someone turns off their music they do not respond with anger but dance all the more. It's a beautiful example of what we are supposed to do: dance for joy even if we cannot dance. Sing with all our breath even if we cannot sing. Give with all our hearts even if we have nothing to give. All without shame.

Why? Because that's what God asks and that's what God wants. You think God does not know what is in your skill set or not? You think God cares how you sound when you sing Alleluia at Mass or service? God created you and walked with you your entire life. You are not going to surprise the guy with your voice. God wants what you freely give, your praise in any form is treasured. (this is my way of saying pick up your hymnal and sing in church, ya layabout)

There are so many stresses this time of year and so many reasons to look down. To curse God for the hardships and the suffering that seems to surround us. That is the challenge and the blessing of this day. Not to forget all of those things but to just spend some moments putting them down to just praise. To recognize and celebrate the good things, the blessings with God's caring hand on them. So this week, blast this song and have a little dance party. Sing your pump-up song in the shower with extra vigor. Sing at Mass. Go rock climbing. Watch a sunrise. Write a poem. Play soccer with your family. Build something awesome with LEGOs. Do something for the simple joy you get just by doing it.

Advent Musical Reflection #2 :: 2nd Week: "Open" Regina Spektor

I chose a Regina Spektor song last year for the second week of Advent, too. I wonder if there's a connection? There is a lot I want to say about this song and Advent, but I'll start with just a general expression of love for Regina Spektor. She's fantastic, isn't she? Anyway, "Open" has a beautiful, slow build reflected in the instrumentation and dynamics. It starts minimally and a little dark. Even though the content of the verses do not get much lighter, it remains hopeful in the chorus and the music. There it is again, hope. Advent is about waiting in darkness, with hope, for light.

Potentially lovely
Perpetually human
Suspended and open
Open

With those words, the song switches from minor to major. The piano is fuller and the vocalization louder. Just because we are waiting, that does not mean our time is devoid of joy or beauty. Waiting can be hard, boring, painful. It is definitely "perpetually human." Sometimes it can be "potentially lovely." The situations in the verses are sometimes painful, "wires 'round my fingers" or the gasps for breath in between the lines about being trapped in the last verse. I wrote last week about the journey being hard and sometimes unknown. To pretend it is not is denial - one of the reasons I like Catholicism. It's homey and rich and it's not very cuddly. No one accuses Catholicism of trying to con you with warm fuzzies. (Or maybe I'm watching too much Daria on Hulu?)

Even though the song is not particularly happy, it recognizes beauty. In the bridge, everyone is confined but they see beauty in the falling snow and the streetlights. It's a delicate part of the song and almost a rest from the tugging extremes expressed between the verses and the chorus. Throughout, the piano anchors you throughout the song with a steady pulse and lovely counterpoint to the vocals. It asks you to look beyond the hard, boring, painful.

Then comes the word "open," often repeated, is triumphant. Every time she sings it, it has more power and is more full, joyful even. The song asks you to recognize the potentially lovely, accept the perpetually human, and embrace being suspended and open. Be open to all the experiences we endure, beautiful, painful, confining, lovely. Be open to allowing experiences to affect you. Be open to the Nativity event, the Incarnation, God coming to earth. It can be a slow build, like this song. On the last chorus, the last "opens," we get the finale we have been waiting for.

So that this week is actually a reflection, I'll leave you with some questions:
- Where do/did you recognize beauty in the coming week? This past week? In your Christmas preparations?
- What do you need to make yourself more open to this Advent? In the new year?
- Finish the last line of the song, "Open up your eyes and then..."

Advent Musical Reflection #1 :: 1st Week: "America" Simon and Garfunkel

With Thanksgiving on my heels and being without my usual 9-hour marathon of music (aka driving back from KC to Chicago) I was at a loss for the song to choose for the First Sunday in Advent. I asked myself what I think of for the first Sunday, and my answers were: hope, beginning, journey. And I had my song.

I used to listen to Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits over and over on car trips when I was a kid. I would be watching America go by my window while listening to this song. Still today the images that flash by my eyes when hearing it are of farmland, mountains, sand dunes, forests. Thanksgiving is a national holiday and our nation definitely gave us a lot to be thankful for, as well as cause for worry. We have had times of uncertainty before, but lately it seems to come from all sides: ebola, Obama v. congress, Ferguson, Keystone pipeline, ISIS ... not to mention the things we were always worried about, global warming, hunger, poverty, violence, abortion, disease, ignorance, racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, fear.

But this song is hopeful, right from the first line. "Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together...and walked off to look for America." The US is a country founded on ideas, not a person. In the song, the couple are on a journey to seek those ideas. Intangible yet somehow embodied in Mrs. Wagner pies, turnpikes, and games with fellow travelers, seeking those ideas sustain them even when "I'm empty and aching and I don't know why."

Advent is a journey seeking truth and love. We commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph with Christmas pageants (I can still hear "he's the one we've been waiting for" delivered in awkward kid actor cadence from all 9 years at my Catholic gradeschool) and putting the figurines from our nativity sets on the opposite side of the room from the stable. Despite the fact that we do them every year, the pageants and the figurines still remind us of a story of an uncomfortable journey with an uncertain conclusion. Like all our journeys, we are rarely ecstatic the entire time and our destinations usually throw a few curve balls. This is particularly true of journeys seeking something, even something as intangible as truth and love.

That is why we have to remain hopeful. The lovers in the song endure hitchhiking and buses and depression because they want to capture that elusive America idea, and they believe they can. What comes after is unknown. Mary and Joseph endure persecution and donkey riding to have a baby in a stable. Not an ideal situation. We know what comes after: more persecution, death, and resurrection. Also, not ideal, but ultimately the greatest hope possible. Our Advent starts in the usual swirl of consumerism and this year even more uncertainty and darkness. But we are hopeful that our destination will be full of truth and love. It may not be easy or comfortable, but when was solid truth or deep love easy or comfortable?

Last Year's Advent Musical Reflections

Here they are, all my musical reflections from last Advent. Use them again, or refresh your memory. This year's start tomorrow!

Advent Musical Reflection #1 :: 1st Week: "Generations" Fr. Kent O'Connor (music)

It's not on YouTube, it's too new and awesome, so if you're not buying Fr. Kent's Advent album (which can be found on iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby), I recommend you go to Spotify and listen to it.

This is a rare song that makes a jam out of the genealogy from Matthew. I mean, rare rare, because I've never heard of anyone else doing it. Then again, I haven't been following Danielle Rose too closely, and she's the only other person I can think of who could pull it off. (Yes, this is the kind of promotion you get when you're friends with me. It's even free.)

I chose this song for the first week of Advent because it's the beginning. And as the song goes, "We'll start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start." The story of the coming of Jesus does not start with an angel appearing to Mary. It starts with Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three peoples recognize the story of God working in our lives. Christians call it "salvation history," the history of God saving us, person by person. The story spreads and more people come to follow. So as Advent begins, look back on the rest of the calendar year: What brought you to this point? Who brought you to this point? What is your salvation history? As you look forward as the new liturgical year begins not so far from the calendar year, How do you want to move forward? How have you seen God's promise "that all will be fine," come through this year? If nothing seems fine this year, do you have hope in that promise for the future? Jesus is coming - look for hope.


Advent Musical Reflection #2 :: 2nd Week: "Laughing With" Regina Spektor

For this week I chose "Laughing With," probably the most theologically correct pop song out there. I would rank it higher than quite a few Christian songs, too. I like this song because it asks you to look at your image of God, to ask yourself if and when you think about God. There's not a lot of frills in this song, it's very to the point. "No one laughs at God in a hospital, no one laughs at God in a war." To put it plainly and politely, stuff is real.

It might be a silly thing to say about life, but it is most definitely real. There is no time when it seems more real than the painful times, all the times Spektor lists in the verses and any other times that come right to mind. In those times, we tend to lean on God, or blame God, find comfort in God or cease to believe. What she's saying here is to pay attention to how you see God in the bad times and "when you're at a cocktail party and listening to a good God-themed joke."

Advent is a very short season, less than four weeks. We don't have much time to ease into it, so stuff has to get real fast. What are we preparing for? God getting real - the Incarnation, the birth of the second person in the Holy Trinity as a screaming, eating-and-pooping baby. If you've spent any time with babies, you know they are terribly real. Our God, the unknowable, all-powerful wanted to make sure we understood him in a real way, not just as a good punchline. After all, Emmanuel means "God with us." So, in your preparations this week, think about how you think about God. Is God real to you? Have you ever thought of our Lord and Savior as a baby you hold in your arms? As someone you would go do a very real activity with, like go on a hike or to a baseball game? As the friend who's shoulder you cry on in painful times?

Advent Reflection #2.5 :: Fiesta de Virgen Edition: Excerpt from Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

The scene: The old Archbishop felt called to pray in the church that night, and found Sada, the old Mexican woman kept as a slave by an American family, had come to pray as well. She was not allowed to come to Mass.

"Never, as he afterward told Father Vaillant, had it been permitted to him to behold such deep experience of the holy joy of religion as on that pale December night. He was able to feel, kneeling beside her, the preciousness of the things of the altar to her who was without possessions; the tapers, the image of the Virgin, the figures of the saints, the Cross that took away indignity from suffering and made pain and poverty a means of fellowship with Christ. Kneeling beside the much enduring bond-woman, he experienced those holy mysteries as he had done in his young manhood. He seemed able to feel all it meant to her to know that there was a Kind Woman in Heaven, though there were such cruel ones on earth. Old people, who have felt blows an toil and known the world's hard hand, need, even more than children do, a woman's tenderness. Only a Woman, divine, could know all that a woman can suffer.
---
..."'O Sacred Heart of Mary!' She murmured by his side, and he felt how that name was food and raiment, friend and mother to her. He received the miracle in her heart into his own, saw through her eyes, knew that his poverty was as bleak as hers. When the Kingdom of heaven had first come into the world, into a cruel world of torture and slaves and masters, He who brought it had said, 'And whosoever is least among you, the same shall be first in the Kingdom of Heaven.' This church was Sada's house, and he was a servant in it."

Advent Musical Reflection #3 :: 3rd Week Gaudate Sunday: "Get Happy/Happy Days" Pink Martini fr. Rufus Wainwright

Of my favorite liturgical season, this Sunday is my favorite day. On Gaudate Sunday the priests' vestments are pink, (they insist on calling it a manlier "rose," but we all know it's pink) hence our song from Pink Martini. I like to celebrate by wearing pink every day this week; if you know me, you know that's not hard.

I love this day because it's about joy. Joy is deeper than happiness or delight, and it has to come from something more than a good piece of chocolate or your favorite tv show. Joy breaks through the status quo to bring you to a new sense of self. In C.S. Lewis's spiritual autobiography Surprised by Joy he defines joy as almost an event that changes his perspective. It's the Holy Spirit making itself known in his life.

Last week, I talked about the "realness" of the season. That's another reason I love this Sunday: it's a reminder that in all this drudgery there is joy. Hope. We ARE looking forward to something, remember? This season is about the coming of Jesus! Rejoice! It is so easy to forget in the crunch time before Christmas. There are only 10 days left to finish your shopping, your crafts, your baking, your travel plans, and for students add finals. It is so easy to forget what, in this season of preparation, we are preparing for. The other important thing to be said about joy is that it is not exclusive. You can have joy AND be sad, or mad, or any of those emotions we like to not talk about. Joy does not have to deny suffering to exist; joy is found in those nuggets of hope that persist when everything else is pushing down. That pink candle is saying that the day isn't here yet, but it is coming. You are allowed to take a breath, discover your hope, and be joyful.

So here is Gaudate Sunday, dressed in pink, to say to you that the one who conquers death is coming, the one we've been waiting for, the New Star, the Light of the World, the Savior of Nations, yes, THAT guy. C'mon get happy, happy days are here again! That's right, "Forget your troubles, happy days, c'mon get happy, are here again, you better chase all your cares away, the skies above are clear again, shout Hallelujah, so let's sing a song, c'mon get happy, of cheer again, get ready for the judgement day, happy days are here again."

Advent Musical Reflection #4 :: 4th Week: "I Found a Reason" Cat Power

For this week, I picked a short song as this is a very short week of Advent! I specifically chose the Cat Power version, which is as much based on the Velvet Underground original as Disney's Pocahontas. (Confession: I knew this one first, thanks to a great mix from Elise Keeney.)

This song is simple, pared down, with only voice and minimal piano. We're at the end of our Advent journey; we've discussed, reflected, hosted parties, baked cookies, shopped, sang O Come O Come Emmanuel for four weeks. My reflections have gotten longer and longer, too - did you think you'd ever get to the end of last week's? Here I am saying, ignore the rest. This is it. At the end, intellectual posturing and grandstanding are meaningless; it's just you and God.

The Nativity is almost here. Last week I listed off names for Jesus that are grand and glorious. This week, I say just think of the baby, lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. The baby Joseph was told in a dream to love. We might use that fancy-to-us sounding name of Emmanuel, if we remember all it means is "God with us." You and God.

So, as we approach Christmas, use this song as a prayer. Say that you Found a Reason. Put all your hurt, joy, love, pain, peace into these words: "I do believe in all the things you say. What comes is better than what came before. And you better run run, run run to me. Better run, run run, run run, to me. Better come, come come, come come to me. You'd better run."