6th Sunday in Ordinary

13 February 2011

Entrance	Your words are spirit and life (Bernadette Farrell)
Penitential Rite	St Gabriels I (mtgf)
Gloria	St Augustine's (Christopher Walker)
Psalm 118	They are happy who follow God's law (mtgf)
Gospel Acclamation	Salisbury (Christopher Walker)
Preparation of Gifts	In perfect charity (Randall DeBruyn)
Eucharistic Acclamations	Mass of Creation (Marty Haugen)
Lamb of God	Remembrance (Marty Haugen)
Communion	Teach me, O Lord (Christopher Walker)
Final	Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him ( )

The lateness of Easter means that we are into a series of Sundays that usually fall into the gap of the liturgical year. One of the strokes of genius in the reform of the liturgical year was to make Ordinary Time one season — exploring the life and teaching of Jesus — with some Sundays which are never celebrated each year. For the church musician this means psalms which if they do not recur in the Sunday cycle are rarely sung and Gospel that are heard less often. So today we had a simple setting of the responsorial psalm but the opening song was a similar meditation on the law and at Communion we sang a more expansive setting from Psalm 118. I was interested to note that my instinct if we are singing a second psalm setting is to place it at Communion rather than the Preparation of Gifts. As is often the case the act of Communion adds a level of meaning to the psalm - so the way we should follow is the procession to receive Christ's Body and Blood.

In perfect charity has a text based or inspired by St Francis of Assisi by the composer Randall DeBruyn. It is sung to a fine, long, well-constructed melody which he has arranged to make a satisfying choir piece.