When I was a child, I remember my parents saying to me that nothing worth having ever comes easy. To acquire something of great value one must work hard, sacrifice, and (usually) surrender something else of value. I think of the years of my musical preparation: it was a financial cost to the family, I spent hours at the keyboard rather than playing with friends, and I didn’t have time to do other things I might have liked to do because of musical obligations. What did I gain by this commitment?

​I used to think my life would be shaped by music and its business. But I find that music is only the vehicle in which I may serve God; His gifts given to me, and my hard work developing and employing them for His Kingdom. Hopefully, I am earning my place at the table—not because of the music—but because my spiritual and Communal life are truly shaped by the Gospels. I find this harder sometimes than practicing music for several hours a day. I know that I am a practicing Christian, a practicing Catholic. Again: nothing worth having ever comes easy…

Today in the Gospel (for this Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time), we come to the end of the “Bread of Life Discourse.” Many of Jesus’ disciples were deciding that what Jesus had told them is just too difficult to accept, and “as a result of this, many disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Jesus.” How disappointing to hear this typical human story of turning away, of giving up because it is difficult—if it were easy, though, everyone would do it…and all may have remained. (Something I tell my piano students to encourage them to continue practicing is that if it were easy to play, everyone would be a pianist.)

Today Jesus reminds us that His words are spirit and life. We know that He is the key to salvation: He is the bread of life. He requires peace, justice, and forgiveness in all our relationships. Not easy to do and to fulfill, but He is wisdom incarnate! May we all respond as Peter responds to Jesus: “You have the words of eternal life...you are the Holy One of God.”

It seems to me that having this faith is worth all the hard work, the practice, the sacrifice, and the surrender—but remember we will not do this all alone—we have the Holy Spirit within us, we have the Word to guide us, and we have the Eucharist to strengthen us. When things become difficult because our faith challenges us to do the right thing—the hard thing rather than take the easy way—just remember: Nothing worth having ever comes easy.

Keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc

St. Thomas Aquinas—like Wisdom in today’s Old Testament Reading—invites us to the table to eat. St. Thomas gives us four good reasons to eat the bread of life: (spiritual) nourishment, growth, healing and joy. We hear Jesus in today’s Gospel give us another and best reason: the promise that “whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood remains in me and I in him.” You are what you eat!

​Working on losing weight, I know how true this is with regular food. Our choices define our health. Choosing fast food over the true abundance and blessing of real food is one example—as a friend of mine (a massage therapist) says: “When food is highly processed (fake) your body doesn’t know what to do with it.” Real food gives us nourishment and growth, healing and joy.

As human beings, everything we know comes to us through our bodily senses. Without the Body of Christ, we might be tempted to reduce Jesus to an abstract, intellectual or impersonal concept or idea. But our bodies are our “gateway” to knowledge. In the Eucharist we know the divine person of Jesus. We eat and drink and we are saved because when we truly carry Jesus within us, we will be in this world as living tabernacles.

As human beings we rely on the physical presence of loved ones to save us from loneliness and isolation—we know that solitary confinement is one of the worst possible punishments! (Remember that no man is an island…) The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Body and Blood overcomes the “real absences” that besiege us. “…the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” He is the nourishment that satisfies our hunger and thirst for holiness and righteousness. Consuming the Eucharist reminds us that we are never alone—Jesus is always with us.

The Bread of Heaven imparts to us “eternal life.” When we partake of this bread, we have God within us and we begin to live forever.  All who believe this are welcome; all present are fed, all are nourished and sustained. This is a miracle and a mystery; this is our grace and redemption. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord! Remember: You are what you eat!

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

In the Introduction to the Lectionary for Mass, we are told that the Responsorial Psalm has great liturgical and pastoral significance because it is an “integral part of the liturgy of the word.  The faithful should be instructed in the way to perceive the word of God speaking in psalms, and to turn these psalms into the prayer of the Church.” The singing of the psalm, or even of the response alone, is a great help toward understanding and meditating on the psalm’s spiritual meaning.

​We know that in the past the psalms were sung by all the Jews: songs of lament, petition and thanksgiving for the people of the Old Testament.  And St. Paul tells us in many of his letters to sing psalms and spiritual hymns⎯the psalms were an every day part of the life of the people of the New Testament, and part of personal prayer. Jesus prayed the psalms—even on the cross. As a pastoral musician, this knowledge, this history and these documents enjoin me (us) to use whatever means are available to encourage assembly singing of the psalm!

The Psalm changes weekly (every Sunday) as do the readings. It is unusual to have to same response for consecutive Sundays—unless you happen to sing a “seasonal psalm” (ie: a psalm for the whole of Christmas Season). It is telling, I think, that this Sunday (the Nineteenth), and for the next two Sundays (the Twentieth and the Twenty-first of Ordinary Time), we sing the same Psalm response: “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” I added last Sunday, the Eighteenth Sunday also to unite the weeks of the “Bread of Life Discourse” from St. John.

The Church, in organizing our readings in the three-year cycles, knew how important St. John’s Bread of Life Discourse would be to the Catholic faithful—as the Eucharist and its theology is central to our beliefs! Here is an opportunity to worship and learn about the Eucharist in John’s great words; here is an opportunity to really “take in” and keep a piece of scripture on our lips! Here is a way to form a Psalm “habit” of prayer, with a phrase that serves us and our faith.

The verses for the Psalm for all the weeks begin with the same phrase: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth.” These are perfect words to take home from Church; a guide for the way to live this life since the Eucharist should change us as we partake and share. “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” A great phrase to keep in mind, to keep on our lips, to keep in our hearts.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

On the Sundays throughout this year we have been hearing the Gospel according to St. Mark. Today, like last week, and for the next three Sundays, however, we will hear sections from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel drawing us into the image of Jesus as the Bread of Life: better known as ‘The Bread of Life Discourse.’ (Great timing, Eucharistic Congress!)

In the first three Sundays of this Bread of Life Discourse of St. John, we see how God sent Bread (Jesus) from heaven. We are to believe and that is how we are led to eternal life. The Old Testament readings of these three Sundays are miracle stories of being fed from heaven and the Responsorial Psalms call us to bless the Lord for the wonderful ways in which we are fed by God.

Last weekend, the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we heard the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and how all who come to Jesus are fed. This miracle took place during the Passover (the liberation of the Exodus), and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread—all of which adds to the Paschal Mystery. This weekend, the Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, we are challenged to believe in the One whom God sent. When we are present and join in the Eucharist at Mass and we share the many mysteries of this history, we who believe will never hunger or thirst again. This is the Paschal Mystery.

The loaves and fishes were multiplied, and by the incredible miracle of the sharing of the people—overcoming our natural human, fearful and selfish tendencies—all present had acted in love. We too, each Sunday, experience a foretaste of the heavenly banquet where all are filled. We know that those who hunger in faith will be satisfied, and that through us, Jesus’ feeding work may continue, whether at Mass, in our homes, families and Community and in the larger world. We are all called as baptized Christians to feed the poor and hungry, and to give life to the world. We also know that In Communion With Him, We Are Loved.

Keep singing!

​Elizabeth Dyc

What we ponder on and allow to germinate in our minds influences how we conduct ourselves outwardly; and in a time marked by so much contention and polarization, only wholesome meditation can be an inspiration for exemplary living. As the hands of feet of Christ, it is our duty to set the right tone as we together contribute to the right development and well-being of our society.

St. Paul challenges us to ponder all that is virtuous in order to crowd out every unworthy thought from our minds: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8). Our pondering on such matters will lead to good deeds. I can’t guarantee earth-shattering results from those deeds, but we’re called, not so much to success, as faithfulness to Christ, our Exemplar in Faith. Right development is a slow process, not unlike gardening. Besides, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” (Eleanor Roosevelt).

A final thought: the call to exemplary living is not a sign of naivety or that one is a pushover, Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). Most people in our society are good, well-intentioned folk, but until all are such we must be scrappy while keeping our intentions true.

David J. Conrad

This Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time through the Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, we hear the Gospel of St. John, rather than from St. Mark. These St. John’s writings are all about Jesus as the Bread of Life. These next five weeks in the liturgical cycle is often referred to as ‘The Bread of Life Discourse,’ and our focus these next few weeks in Scripture is on the Jesus as Eucharist.

​Today, the Old Testament Reading from the Second Book of Kings and the Gospel of John, are about a multiplication of loaves to feed the people—with plenty left over! The Responsorial Psalm today is: “The hand of Lord feeds us; He answers all our needs.” Listen closely to the verses of this Psalm about God’s great generosity!

St. Paul reminds us today to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love…” We are to be fed and then transformed by our joining together at the table of the Eucharist. This is food for our journey in life. This is the nourishment for endurance and for change in order to be what we profess to be: disciples and believers in Christ.

Every Sunday We Remember how he loved us to His death, we know Him in The Breaking of the Bread, We Are Called and we sing the Song of the Body of Christ together. We Come in Joy to Meet the Lord, We Gather Together at the Table of Plenty to Taste and See His goodness. We Come and Eat This Bread, for You Satisfy the Hungry Heart. Take and Eat, and Look Beyond the obvious and Behold the Lamb of God who Now in This Banquet gives us Life-Giving Bread, Saving Cup. He makes of us One Bread, One Body. He is The Bread of Life, Bread for the World and Our Blessing Cup.

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

Last Sunday we heard Jesus send the Twelve on a mission; this Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time we see them return with a report on their achievement and their preaching. In the Gospel of St. Mark today we hear how Jesus notices that his people are tired; and he leads them to a place where they might rest. They need food, relaxation and contemplative prayer. When a crowd shows up needing attention, Jesus teaches them and lets the Apostles rest. He is the example of shepherding that we may and must do for each other—in our families and our many different communities.

​All of us have very busy weeks: we are all loaded with responsibilities at home and at work, with friends and family. Our lifestyle does not lend itself to resting; we feel guilty and “shiftless” when we do. (I just read an article where doctors are ordering walks in the woods for their stressed out patients!) We all live as “workaholics”—and just the fact that we have that word in our vocabulary shows that there is a need for its’ use. The clock—and time— rules our lives.

I don’t know about you—but yesterday I was shocked to realize that we are half-way through July!

We all have the sense of time running out, or not having enough time to do all that we want or need to do. Today’s Gospel shows us though, that we should try and have the habit of encouraging rest for each other. How? By making it possible through helping out where needed when able; by lightening existing burdens through sharing the load at church, at work and at home; by giving permission to those of family, friends and in this Community to do as Jesus enabled His disciples to do: to ‘take a break with God.’ It doesn’t even have to be long—maybe even just a few hours of reprieve for rest, renewal and relaxation. A time to reflect, refocus and recharge our energies for what is most important: life in the Spirit. Think how much better our lives would be with us all looking out for each other’s needs—in helping others, yet knowing others are looking out for you too. This is Community and Communion.

Like the Gospel story today of the crowd who shows up seeking assurance, we are a flock in distress at times (just watch the news), and under stress. We all need a place of rest in order to meet with our Shepherd, and to remember that we are not—we are never—abandoned. The Responsorial Psalm today—the Twenty-third Psalm—gives us the direction to this place of rest: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.” St. Aidan is a great place to be refreshed, revitalized and renewed in the Lord and in all things: in work, in mission, in people and in play. We are so glad you are here!

What a great reason to keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

In the Old Testament Reading this Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear about the downside of being a prophet (like Elijah from last week). Today we hear the Prophet Amos say, “The Lord took me…and said to me, ‘Go and prophesy’…” Because of his calling Amos is sent away by the priest Amaziah. In the Gospel Jesus sends out his disciples with explicit instructions to take with them only the bare minimum. (That would be scary!) The disciples are not prophets, but have been commissioned to preach repentance, to exorcise demons and to heal the sick.

​We all inherit this mission⎯this call⎯by our Baptism and belief. Although in our many differing ministries and walks of life, we may eat and sleep where we like, it can be intimidating to confront the ‘demons’ we must face, too. Think about it: demons of fear, demons of insecurity or inadequacy, demons of jealousy and pride. In the face of all kinds of ‘demons’ how difficult it is at times to know what to say to grieving families; or to be patient and compassionate with the ill, the ignorant or the annoying. Every day we face moments as Christian missionaries that challenge us to respond as Christ would respond.

St. Paul tells us today that we were chosen for this; “we were destined for adoption…(by) Christ; destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things…In accord with the riches of his grace which he has lavished upon us.” We have all been given gifts for the building of the kingdom of God: all of us were chosen for this purpose.

In the Music Ministry, we do face our own particular demons in our mission: how intimidating it can be sometimes to lead the psalm from the ambo, or to lead the Assembly in song, or in a reflection of the Word (an anthem) and to realize that what transpires musically may affect the Community’s experience of the Divine this day. We face these ‘demons’ (or challenges) along with those of stubborn assemblies who don’t sing along (not so here at St. Aidan’s), or parishioners who don’t understand the ministry (or its’ requirements).

I always say if we are not moving forward we aren’t staying still, so which direction are we going? Because nothing stays the same! There is always work to do to better sharpen the gifts given—looking for never ending improvements. The challenge is to hone and use your many gifts for the Kingdom. Time to get to work in our Mission!

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc

We are well acquainted with the ironies of our faith belief, for example: the last shall be first. All you need to do is remember the Beatitudes! (The meek inheriting, those mourning shall laugh, etc.) Today’s readings have “Christian ironies” too. Irony is a figure of speech in which the words express the opposite of the intended meaning. It can be the expression of complimentary or contradictory impulses and  attitudes. Thanks, Webster!

​In the First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, the Prophet finds that his purpose is larger than the resistance he encounters. He is not to worry about results; just deliver the message. No matter, as all will still know that a prophet was among them even if they turn from grace. The irony is that while they know a prophet is among them, they choose not to listen!

The same sort of story occurs in the Gospel today. Jesus’ own relatives and friends reject Him and this limits His ability to help them. It is their choice to turn to Him or not, as it is our choice, too.

St. Paul tells us today that it is “when I am weak, then I am strong.” (Irony!) It is in our suffering that we become strong; it is our alleged strengths that keep us from God. That is irony for you! St. Paul is grateful for his “malady” as it is the device that keeps him humble and realistic; this helps him in his ‘choice’ for Christ. This is the irony and paradox of our belief—it is in tribulation and weakness that we may receive the grace of strength and faith. Keeping this in mind should help make our choices more obvious!

This week we celebrated the National Holiday of Independence Day. The irony is that even in this land of freedom, many choose to live as slaves. They are slaves to their past, to their mistakes, to false gods, to sin. They need the freedom of Christ: the liberty of mercy and forgiveness, of grace and God’s everlasting love. How will you choose?

Keep singing!

Elizabeth Dyc