Sing to the Lord

Do we ever pay attention to the Entrance Antiphon at Mass? In many ways, it is like the prologue in a novel or the welcome note in a playbill. It says a lot in a very short and simple manner.

In reviewing some of the readings for the Mass, I discovered that the Entrance Antiphons for the Second Sunday and the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time both relate to singing. The Second Sunday Antiphon reads: “All the earth shall bow down before you, O God, and shall sing to you, shall sing to your name, O Most High!” Similarly, the Third Sunday Antiphon is as follows: “O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendor, strength and honor in his holy place.”

God’s Love

Just as everyone has their Christmas traditions, so too, do we have our post-Christmas traditions or rituals. Some people like to take the tree down the day after the holy day. When it’s over, it’s over! Others, like me, prefer to languish in the beauty of the season and keep the tree and decorations up at least until the Epiphany. I hate to lose sight of that beautiful, glistening tree bedecked with ornaments that have meaning. Many hold a story and one can reminisce quite easily on the angel from Hawaii, the ceramic penguin given by a student, the red ball that has lost its luster after over 50 years.