St. Fabian and St. Sebastian: Saint of the Day

Several years ago I used to attend a daily Mass said by a priest who had an affinity to the Saints.  He always made their stories and accomplishments so meaningful so I thought I'd share some of my notes here.  I kept copious notes in case I was ever called upon creating a liturgical celebration based on the person of interest.  Today, of course, we have the internet.

January 20th is the optional memorial day of St. Fabian and St. Sebastian.  Both were martyrs and persecuted for simply being Christian.  Fabian holds the honor of being elected Pope but was not even a priest at the time of his election.  Sebastian was a soldier who comforted the people he was about to kill.  When the emperor found out that Sebastian was a Christian, he was ordered to be killed by a bowmen firing squad.  There are many famous paintings of Sebastian with a dozen or so arrows sticking out of him.    That isn't all he is famous for.  He survived his execution and after being nursed to health, he confronted the emperor yet again and of course, was executed again.  Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes.

It must have taken tremendous courage to be a Christian in a time when they were hated.  Even today we're no stranger to hate.  The Nazi's hated the Jews, Lebanon hates Israel, the Puritans who escaped Europe from religious persecution came to North America only to persecute people who were not pure like them, European settlers hated the Native Americans because the Native Americans resented being forced off their land so they had the nerve to fight back.  Other classes and groups of people we loved to hate in recent history:  blacks, gays, women, Irish, Mexicans, English, French, Muslim, Japanese, rich people and even poor people.

In my town a business was going to build two halfway houses for people newly released from prison with arrest records.  Everyone thought it was a noble idea and the purchase of the property was approved in a non-residential area.  Then someone found out that the people living there could include the dreaded sex offender.  As word spread like wildfire the next town hall meeting was filled to capacity by people protesting this halfway house rumored to be full of registered sex offenders.  All permissions were rescinded.  What is amazing is that when people thought these buildings would house drug dealers, gang members, burglars, robbers, wife beaters, drunk drivers, drug users, murderers and animal abusers, nobody had a problem with it because everyone deserves a second chance.  But, if a 19 year old high school senior who had sex with his 16 year old high school sweetheart might move in - he is a child molester and rapist and nobody saw anything wrong with ostracizing him and everyone else along with him.  Even though the halfway house was for anyone arrested, not just the good criminals like murderers, armed robbers and drug dealers.

When Charlie Hebdo was attacked by terrorists, the West united with rallies and protests reciting the phrase "Je suis Charlie."  The West saw this as a statement in support for freedom of speech while the Islamic religion saw the rallies as an affront to the Prophet Muhammad.  Neither party is wrong because of their cultural differences but it shouldn't be that difficult for either party to say they're sorry; maybe it is.

It is good to remember Fabian and Sebastian and their persecution.  Both fought and peacefully stood up for what they believed.  Did they have to die for it?   Must history repeat itself?

THE HUMANITY

Last Sunday, the phone calls and emails started coming in saying "We're canceling Tuesday." Even some of my Wednesday appointments have been canceled.  You see, a once every hundred years, storm of the century, snowmagedden was coming and people were canceling appointments, meetings and life in general to prepare to be socked in and and thusly pounded by Mother Nature. 

Well, let me tell you, the storm was so bad, that the plows haven't even been down my street yet.  I live at the end of a dead end street so we are always the last to be plowed so, here is a picture of my street Tuesday morning at the height of the blizzard. 

The weather forecasters are so embarrassed (none have yet to admit or apologize for their error), that they are showing footage from cities over 300 miles away in an effort to justify their "sky is falling" mentality.  It's all about the ratings, isn't it.

Cantors Verses Soloist

For a series of cantor workshops, I complied a video of cantors singing the responsorial psalm.  These clips were culled from the Sunday morning Roman Catholic televised Mass in my diocese.

As you listen and watch, don't judge the singer.  Don't judge their training or quality of voice.  Instead, listen for inflection.  Do you beleive what they are proclaiming?  Do you think they beleive what they are proclaiming?  Are they proclaiming?  Are they preoccupied with performing?  Do they appear warm and welcoming?  Do they seem nervous?  Are their gestures on the beat?  Do they have any unnecessary movements?  Do they make eye contact with everyone?  Do they stare at their music?  Does it seem like they are proclaiming the Word of God or singing a song?  Do they look happy to be there?  Are they dynamic?  Do they smile?

I had a conversation with a singer regarding the subtle difference between a cantor and soloist.  Here are some of the thoughts I shared with her.

A cantor proclaims.
A soloist sings.
A cantor looks at the congregation during the introduction.
A soloist looks at the music, floor, pianist.
A cantor has part of the music memorized (like the refrain) and looks at the people while singing it.
A soloist stares at the music.
A cantor gestures and cues the assembly.
A soloist just stands there.
A cantor (during the Psalm) doesn't sing the refrain but looks at the people as they respond to her.
A soloist sings her own response.
A cantor prayed the text during the week that she is going to proclaim on Sunday.
A soloist learned the song she is going to sing.
A cantor has people come up to them after the service to tell them how the text spoke to them.
A soloist has people come up to them after the service to tell them how beautiful they sang.

I demand that all my cantors memorize part of the Psalm so that they can look out at the people.  If a cantor sings from Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I be afraid." and looks out at someone who is scheduled for surgery tomorrow, it can have a huge impact on that person.

If a cantor sings from Psalm 42, "Why should I mourn and toil within when it is mine to hope in God?" and looks out at a teen thinking about suicide, it can make a difference in their life.

If a cantor sings from Psalm 63, "As morning breaks, I look to you to be my strength this day." and looks at someone starting a new job tomorrow, it could make a difference for that person.

If a cantor sings from Isaiah 43, "I have called you each by name.  I love you and you are mine." and looks at someone who is lonely, it might make a difference in their life.

A cantor, if they do all those things, will grow by leaps and bounds.
A soloist, may grow through years of repetition.

Christian Unity Octave

Happy Unity Octave, January 18 - 25th. 

"Octave" is a Latin word meaning eight.  According to the first creation story, God created the world in seven days.  The resurrection of Jesus was called the "eight day" by early Christians because now life was to be lived in a whole new dimension of freedom. 

Many churches have forgotten that we are all one body and all are welcome.  We are quick to judge, deny, exclude and ostracize others under the banner of our own brand of Christianity.  Some churches love to hate.

I played at the funeral of a Protestant minister's mother.  In attendance were several clergy including a Roman Catholic priest.  He both received and distributed Communion.  Afterward he asked me not to tell anyone.  I thought it was a beautiful ecumenical example of brotherhood, Christianity, communion, passion and breaking of the bread.

So during this octave, we are to pray that all may come together, not judge, put aside our differences and celebrate our commonalities.  The Church Unity Octave ends on January 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.  If Paul, Saul of Tarsus, the crazed terrorist and murderer of Christians is welcome . . .

The Holy Man in the Mountains

Today, January 17, is the memorial of one of my favorite saints; St. Anthony of Egypt.  At the age of 20 both of his parents had died and he inherited a fortune.  He gave it away to the poor and then went to live in the quietest place he could find which was a tomb in a cemetery in the desert.  The only people he spoke to were other hermits and outcasts of society. 

He later moved to an abandoned fort high in the mountains where for 20 years he didn't see another person.  He was the legendary Holy Man in the mountains whom people began to seek for counsel.  It was said that his face glowed with radiant happiness. 

When Christians were being persecuted and thrown into prison he left the mountains to comfort them and because of who he was and the holiness he exuded, he himself was never arrested.   He then returned to the desert and founded a monastery where he took care of his pets and garden for 45 years, living to the age of 105.  He read no books saying that it was nature which spoke to him of God.

I have an elderly friend from Mexico who told me that on St. Anthony's feast day, when my friend was a child, they would paint their pets, animals and livestock, dress them up in clothes and wreaths of flowers, then bring them to the church for a blessing. 

In my state, if you painted your pet, you'd go to prison for ten years under Buster's Law. 

Long live the Pirate Bay where the world is one.

Long live the Pirate Bay where the world is one.

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