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Ad te levavi
Volume 6, Number 1, November 30, 2003


Ad te levavi

As the Christian year begins, wherever I have lived, it has always been dark by the time Daily Evening Prayer is offered. Yet every year I am caught off guard, surprised again, by the darkness. One day in December I will suddenly realize on my way to church that it is dark outside, very dark. It is the special darkness of Advent that prepares us for Christmas.

Christmas, of course, is well underway in most of our world. Except in an increasingly small number of liturgical Christian parish communities, Christmas is now the season between Thanksgiving and December 25 inclusive. I don't make too much of this anymore. My blood pressure doesn't even rise when Episcopal parishes and cathedrals fall into this pattern.

I don't have to do Christmas at this church or my home before it is Christmas, that is, before the sun sets on December 24, and I don't. This is hardly the only area of my life or the life of my parish community, which is different than that of most of the world.

If you are new to Saint Mary's or to a liturgical church community, you have an opportunity to free yourself from the Christmas of the world - where the longings of our human hearts, souls and bodies are never really satisfied. I'm not recommending that you become a difficult person for everyone who knows you. But I suggest that you have an opportunity to be in this world but not of this world. The Lord Jesus was born not into the glory of this world but into its poverty. His kingship was not of this world. Holy Advent seems to me to be the perfect counterbalance to the unrealistic expectations of culture, family and friends, and to what relationships and life should be about. Advent is real.

There is something altogether perfect about the entrance song on Advent Sunday. It's from Psalm 25. In Latin it begins, Ad te levavi animam meam. In Prayer Book English, "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you." It's a song that calls our attention to the center of our being, God himself. There's something deeply Christian about the stark simplicity of Advent in our church and, if I may, in our homes.

My own experience and love of the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 is day one) has only been enhanced by keeping both of these traditional seasons. Some aspect of family, friends and finances almost always presents an emotional challenge at this time of the year. Spiritual clarity and spiritual maturity are helpful bulwarks against the unwelcome assaults of the season.

Again, I have always been surprised by the darkness at this time of the year. But I enter into it with an appetite for it. It seems to clear away nonsense in my life and leave me with space for the Lord to be born. The first Christian communities prayed for the "advent," or "coming" of the Lord. It's a prayer we still pray, a prayer we still need.

Stephen Gerth


PRAYER LIST . . Your prayers are asked for Heidi, Robert, Gloria, Jason, Harold, Billie, Matthew, John, Michael, Virginia, Bart, Margaret, Marion, Hugh, Rick, Mary Angela, religious, and Charles, priest, and for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Ned, Timothy, Patrick, Kevin, Christopher, Andrew, Joseph, Marc, Timothy, David, and Colin....GRANT THEM PEACE . . . November 30: 1970 Sarah Lucille La Bosse; December 1: 1977 Calvin Nash, 1989 George William Johnson, Sr., 1992 Margaret Louise Rigler; December 3: 1990 Francis Timothy Dlugos, 1991 Mrs. Olga Edgar; December 5: 1989 Lorelle D. Brownell Britt.

LITURGICAL NOTES . . . The Sunday Proper: Zechariah 14:4-9, Psalm 50:1-6, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-31 . . . Confessions will be heard on Saturday, November 29, by Father Gerth . . . Confessions will be heard on Saturday, December 6, by Father Beddingfield.

NOTES ON MUSIC . . . This week at the Solemn Mass, the prelude is Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme, BWV 645 by J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and the postlude is Final from Symphonie I, Op. 13 by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937). The setting of the Mass ordinary is Missa 'In die tribulationis' by Orlande de Lassus (1532-1594). The Flemish born Lassus, also known as Orlando di Lasso, was a prolific composer of about 1250 works, including approximately 60 Mass settings. Much of his early career was spent in Italy and for many years he worked at the ducal chapel in Munich. He is known today as one of the greatest masters of the Renaissance. The motet at Communion is E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come by American composer Paul O. Manz (b. 1919). Manz is a composer in the Lutheran tradition, but this motet for Advent has become loved by many choirs around the world. It has been sung by such varied groups as choirs in small American churches to the choir of Westminster Abbey . . . We continue our weekly series of organ recitals at 4:40. This week, Dr. Gail Archer will play works of Buxtehude, Mendelssohn and Messiaen. Dr. Archer is the director of music and organist of All Saints' Church, New York, and director of the music program at Barnard College, Columbia University.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . We are delighted on Sunday to welcome the Right Reverend Charles E. Jenkins, bishop of Louisiana, back to Saint Mary's. He will preside at the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass . . . The Bishop of New York, the Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk, will be with us to preach at Solemn Evensong this Sunday night. It is an extraordinary privilege to have him with us as the Church year begins . . . Father Beddingfield will lead meditations on Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany and the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . The 2004 Ordo Calendars are here and will be available in Saint Joseph's Hall after the Solemn Mass on Sunday . . . Attendance last Sunday 263.

MEET Mary Magadalene ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS . . . Christian Formation at Saint Mary's will meet on December 3 and the 10th for a short series on Mary Magdalene in art history, led by Joan Baldridge. Come and explore some of what is known, not known, suspected and surmised about this saint. The class meets after Mass from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in Saint Benedict's Study.

ADVENT QUIET DAY ON DECEMBER 6 . . . A "quiet day" is a kind of mini-retreat, but instead of going away to some place outside the city, we simply come into church and pause in place. This year's Advent Quiet Day will be led by Father Beddingfield and will focus on the three Mary's who figure prominently in the life of Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany and Mary his Mother. The Quiet Day begins at 9:30 AM in Saint Joseph's Hall with coffee and tea. At 10:00 AM, we begin the first meditation in the Saint Joseph Chapel (on the right side of the church). The Noonday Office and Mass will be celebrated at the High Altar, after which there will be a light lunch served in silence in Saint Joseph's Hall. The day will conclude around 3:00 PM. Please call the parish office to sign up for the day, so that we know what sort of lunch should be prepared.

The First Sunday of Advent
Sunday, November 30

Solemn Mass 11:00
Music: Missa 'In die tribulationis', Orlande de Lassus
Sermon by the Rector
The Right Reverend Charles E. Jenkins
The Bishop of Louisiana
Presiding

Solemn Evensong & Benediction 5:00
Sermon by the Right Reverend Mark S. Sisk
The Bishop of New York

Upcoming....

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Monday, December 8

Procession & Solemn Pontifical Mass 6:00 PM
Music: Messe Solennelle, Langlais
The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold
The Presiding Bishop & Primate of the Episcopal Church, Celebrant
The Reverend Jeffrey Lee, Preacher

The Calendar of the Week
Sunday The First Sunday of Advent  
Monday Saint Andrew the apostle (transferred)  
Tuesday Advent Weekday  
Wednesday Francis Xavier, priest & missionary  
Thursday John of Damascus, priest  
Friday Clement of Alexandria, priest      Abstinence  
Saturday Nicholas, bishop  

Last Published: November 27, 2003 7:11 PM
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