Miserable Church today - a rant from jmp

Easter is late this year, so many snow birds in the St. Boniface Choir have already gone north. With that in mind I signed up to rehearse and sing for today, for Palm Sunday (17th April 2011), and for Easter Day (24th April 2011).

Self interest serves me well.  I am back in the choir again because I love to sing, and because on Easter Day we will sing a very lively setting of the Mass by Mozart.  It is called, in English, the “Sparrow Mass”.

But before Easter comes the fifth Sunday in Lent (today), and Palm Sunday (next week).   

So this morning I found myself singing the dreariest Lenten music:-  by the Italian composer Pergolesi, and by the English composer Thomas Tallis.  It’s the kind of music in which even singers want to go to sleep.

I have come to the conclusion that “Lent” is a bogus season.  It’s supposed to be about fasting, self denial, and renewed works of charity and mercy. 

Few of us buy into that, but we make up for our spiritual shortcomings by making Sunday worship in Lent as boring and miserable as is possible.

That well describes my experience at Church this morning.

The service was boring.

 I was disinterested.

We were bombarded with “words, words, words”, with ne’er a moment for silent reflection, nor any call to action.

Don’t get me wrong.  

I think that my parish is filled with good and well-meaning people.  

I have the greatest of respect for the Rector, and the Assistant Rector. 

I am grateful for the three organists/choir directors who lead our music.

It’s all good and well meaning. But my parish has not a damn word to say about the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of our world.

The parish observes Lent with scrupulous attention to detail.

But you’d never know a thing about our fu-ked-up world if you had been there today. Instead you would have heard too many words, and some very miserable music.


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