Friday Lauds<\/strong>\u00a0opens with Psalm 51, perhaps the most famous of all the penitential psalms – Have mercy on me<\/em>, O God<\/em>. As we began Lauds last Friday, I thought again about the fact we always begin Friday morning asking God’s mercy. However, as we continued through the service, the word mercy<\/em> began to present itself in other places — in the opening of the 2nd psalm # 143,\u00a0O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy<\/em>; in the brief response,\u00a0Make me to hear your mercy in the morning<\/em>; in the Gospel antiphon,\u00a0By the inmost mercies of our God, the rising sun has visited us from on high<\/em>; and the 4th verse of the Benedictus,\u00a0to show mercy to our fathers<\/em>. I realized that we had been moved through an entire service by the theme of God’s mercy!<\/p>\n This idea of a theme throughout a worship service — the Divine Office or the Eucharist — \u00a0is not new. On the contrary, it is quite old! But the power of a theme to speak is not diminished by time, only enhanced. Mary Berry used to call these themes the “hidden gems.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Credit for Chant Image:Concert of Gregorian Chant – Mdina, Malta<\/a><\/p>\n www.malta.com<\/a>550\u00a0\u00d7\u00a0390<\/a><\/p>\n By Cantor Follow the theme! Friday Lauds\u00a0opens with Psalm 51, perhaps the most famous of all the penitential psalms – Have mercy on me, O God. As we began Lauds last Friday, I thought again about the fact we always … Continue reading ![\"The](\"http:\/\/of.communityofjesus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/gregorian-chant-in-palazzo-de-piro-mdina-300x212.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"