11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There was nothing terribly abrupt about the switch from Eastertide to Ordinary Time. 

We kind of eased into it - over the course of the last three weeks as we segued from Pentecost through two weeks of Solemnities and now sit at the door of the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 

It's been a while since we had a Sunday called Ordinary. 

And yet, what strikes me as I looked for musical selections this week is how very, frankly, extraordinary is the music of even an ordinary Sunday. 

See, Church has ups and downs in her seasons, and highs and lows in terms of liturgy, but really, the lows are never that low, are they? Everything sung for the church is really carefully considered, crafted and timed.

Case in point, this beautiful rendition of the Communion Antiphon for this week, Unam Petii.  

If you listen, you will be struck by its beauty.  And then when the monk explains a bit about it and how the verse comes into play with the antiphon you will be struck by the intentionality of Mother Church's Scripture choices for each Mass.  

The explanation given by the monk (after they conclude singing) will further assist your understanding.  Originally known as the 5th Week after Pentecost, this 11th Sunday psalm antiphon comes from Psalm 27, a psalm which, as the monk explains, all would have known by heart - "The Lord is My Light".  

Since the early church knew the Sacrament of Baptism as the "sacrament of illumination", the pouring out of the Holy Spirt, or Baptism by Fire, would have been very much on the minds of the early church fathers who united these two ideas - Baptism and Light -- for us to ponder even today, just a few weeks post-Pentecost.

You may notice that beginning this weekend, we make the summer switch in Mass acclamations from Spirit & Grace to Mass of St Frances Cabrini. As well, we begin to recite the Gloria.  

All else remains in full splendor - even if we're just in Ordinary Time.

For more music selections visit our main page at Choral Music Worth Hearing.