Last Saturday, Una Vocis sang our Christmas concert. I am always amazed at how appreciative people are at our performances.
For me, it is sometimes hard to hear how well we all sound together. Part of this is that I am focusing on my notes or music or dynamics or pronunciation. And, at times, I cannot hear each individual part.
Our most exciting news is that we now have a CD out. Information is available on the Una Vocis website.
With the start of the school year, it also means the start of my choir rehearsal schedule. I'm very excited to see everyone again (although I saw a few over the summer). It is hard to believe that we are going to start singing Christmas songs!
I had debated giving up the choir to be home another night with the girls. However, I decided that keeping a non-child commitment was important, and I really get a lot of enjoyment out of the choir. My hope is that it will be a good break for all of us. If it gets to be too much, I can always take the spring off.
Plus, with the Little One going to bed between 7:30 and 8, it wouldn't be much time with her that I miss. The pre-teen is just as likely to be in her room listening to music or watching TV in the living room as doing something with me. Perhaps it will give her time to do some 7th grade homework!
Tomorrow Night, Una Vocis will be performing at Holy Family Catholic Church at 7 p.m.
We have several a cappella numbers and a few in Latin. We have four Eric Whitacre songs and two lengthy pieces.
Hope to see you there!
Since mid-April, I have been extremely busy, even for me. I have had events and projects each weekend and a massive amount of homework due. I've been teetering on the edge of exhaustion and too much to do!
Fortunately, homework over the past two weeks has been light, but I still had two books to read and write about. I had a sermon to rework for church, a busy time at work, and more progress to be made on the adoption/foster parenting front. I had my last SEEL retreat on Saturday, and while it was bittersweet, it is nice to have all of my Saturdays back - maybe the lawn will actually get mowed soon!
My choir rehearsals have increased to two per week for the concert scheduled Saturday. After this week, my schedule gets much lighter, which is good as I have to write a couple big papers for the end of semester. So, if I can make it through next Sunday, life will be good.
The classes this quarter have been heavy reading and writing classes. The one on multiculturalism is a nearly identical repeat of the class I had last summer (I'm still not impressed with it), and I really don't understand why there are two classes on the topic. My other class, on the lifecycle, has been interesting and I've learned a few things. The combination of the two is a bit much. For some reason, the distance courses seem to give the professors the license to require a book per week to be read and reported about while also posting two or three times per week and watching video'ed lectures. This is one area that needs to be reevaluated by the university!
I attended Mass last night as I was singing with Una Vocis. It had been a few years since I had attended a Catholic Mass, and I'm still a bit confused on all the things "insiders" know about the liturgy.
Yesterday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For you Protestants, not that one. This is the one celebrating Mary's immaculate conception. Catholic doctrine holds that Mary, by virtue of her selection to be Jesus' Mother was kept pure from all sin, including original sin. This doctrine is old, but was not official dogma until fairly recently, as far as Christian doctrine goes.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was promulgated in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. This doctrine was one debated for centuries. Luther originally celebrated the feast as a monk, but later rejected the doctrine.
At first, my reaction was that this was a concocted idea, but after some research, it does have some interesting implications. First, does it imply that Mary did not need a redeemer? If she was born without sin and was without sin until Jesus' birth, how does that figure into the idea that "All have sinned?"
It makes me think more about Mary - what about her set her apart so that God chose her to carry His Son? How did a simple girl from the countryside of Israel come to be the most blessed mother ever?
Today was the First Sunday in Advent. As the First Sunday in Advent, it is also the first sunday of the liturgical year. As a Protestant, I identify Advent because of the lighting of the Advent candles, and our sermon series turns to Christmas-like themes. Beyond that, I don't know that I do anything significant. I think I miss out on some of the expectation that should be building. Some of the wonder.
I rarely focus on how long the world waited for Jesus' arrival. I miss the wonder of the creation of Fully God, Fully Man. How does that come to be? How can the ability to sin live in harmony and equality with perfection? I don't know that I can comprehend it. Yet at the same time, I have the same battle going on in my soul - my flesh demands its way, while the spirit tries to gain control. Jesus never gave into the flesh. The spirit does not often have control of my life. Such paradox. Such wonder.
So this Advent, I am trying to slow down and enjoy the wait. I also want to spend some time meditating on Mary. Mary deserves some recognition. God selected her to bear His Son, so there must have been some glimmer in her, some spark, that the rest of us do not have. What could Mary know that I don't? What do I know that she couldn't?
In my chorale group, we are singing two Magnificat songs. The Magnificat is the song Mary sings after Gabriel tells her of her pregnancy. The songs I am singing are quite different but at the same time, mirror the words in Luke 1:46-55 (KJV):
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior;
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
For, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
And holy is his name,
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath showed strength with his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent away empty.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy
As he spake to our father, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
I want my soul to magnify the Lord and my spirit to rejoice in God my Savior.
This week has been busy as one of my co-workers moved on, so I inherited a few more cases to handle. This extra work comes at a good time as I do not currently have classes or homework to worry about.
I auditioned on Sunday for a choral group. I anticipated I would not get in, and had some mixed feelings about it. On one hand, it will consume some of my precious free time. On the other, it will provide new friendships, develop my voice and be fun.
Last night, the director called - and I actually got in! I was so excited, I think he didn't know what to say. So, now I will have to give up my Thursday nights to rehearse for the two concerts we have.
This will now force me to be more intentional with my time. Hopefully, it will add joy, not stress to my life.
