Fr. Longenecker argues in favor of pomp and ceremony here,<\/a> and I have a story to go with.<\/p>\nThe background:<\/p>\n
My husband is a cantor at our parish.\u00a0 To improve his skill, he\u2019s been training with the choir at a neighboring parish.\u00a0 My eldest daughter turns out and sings with them as well.\u00a0 Since they have a fantabulous music program, we\u2019ll call the other parish St. Cecilia\u2019s.<\/p>\n
So St. C\u2019s goes to make a parish directory.\u00a0 One of those books with the photographs of everyone you see at Mass but never know who they are.\u00a0 So the spouse and a smattering of children turn out to get their photo taken, because people will reasonably want to know who that tall guy in the choir is.<\/p>\n
The other thing you need to know: My daughter is beautiful, and I\u2019m not just saying that because I\u2019m her mother.<\/p>\n
So spouse and daughter get dressed up for the photo appointment, but put a phone call in to the music director: Is he going to be around? If they could, they\u2019d like to get their photo done in their choir robes, since that\u2019s the whole point of this exercise.<\/p>\n
No problem, he\u2019s one of those nice guys every parish ought to have twenty of \u2014 he turns out with the keys to the choir robe safe.\u00a0 Except, my daughter.\u00a0 See: Beautiful, and also not so bad in the fashion department.\u00a0 \u201cDarling, it\u2019s your photo, and if you insist on wearing that choir robe that\u2019s your business, but why you\u2019d want to do that I do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why would she want to do that?\u00a0 Why would a lovely girl with a great sense of style want to be remembered as a face bobbing above a sea of white and purple polyester?<\/p>\n
Because it\u2019s not about her.\u00a0 It\u2019s about the office.\u00a0 She\u2019s in the choir, and this photo is about her being a member of the choir.<\/p>\n
When you are confident of yourself, everything doesn\u2019t have to be about you. It doesn\u2019t have to be about, \u201cWhat is most flattering to me? What is most impressive to others?\u201d\u00a0 It can be about turning up and playing the role you\u2019ve been given to play.<\/p>\n
When everyone does that, it makes good liturgy.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Artwork: Master of the Bonn Diptych (Own work (BurgererSF)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fr. Longenecker argues in favor of pomp and ceremony here, and I have a story to go with. The background: My husband is a cantor at our parish.\u00a0 To improve his skill, he\u2019s been training with the choir at a neighboring parish.\u00a0 My eldest daughter turns out and sings with them as well.\u00a0 Since they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,44,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catholic-qa","category-church-craziness","category-liturgical-living"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"File:Master](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Master_of_the_Bonn_Diptych_Choir_of_Angels.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n