Oddwalk Ministries

Category: prayer

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Better Together

Over the summer, I (Shannon) wrote a new song, with some lyrical help from Orin. This song, titled “Better Together,” was written to be this academic year’s school song for St. Peter Catholic School in Fulton, MO, where I serve as the music teacher. The song takes its title from a pastoral slogan of Bishop Shawn McKnight, head of my diocese of Jefferson City, MO. “Better Together” has two main sources of inspiration. The first of these sources was the joy I knew we at St. Peter School would feel when, after months of pandemic-related isolation, the students returned to in-person instruction. As humans, we are simply more ourselves when we are surrounded by those who love and care for us. The second source of inspiration, which is somewhat connected to the first source, is the notion that, as a Church, we are “better” when our doors (both figurative and literal) are open to all those made in God’s image and likeness, regardless of ethnicity, life circumstance, or place on their spiritual journeys.

The newspaper for the Diocese of Jefferson City, The Catholic Missourian, has recently published an article on this new song. I am excited that people outside of our parish and school might have a chance to hear about it and maybe even pray it in their own communities. For those interested in learning and using the song, here are a couple of versions of the score (thanks Orin!), as well as a basic recording.

Better Together – Lead Sheet

Better Together – Full Score

All who are interested have our permission to use the music and lyrics of this song within the context of school and worship settings. This may have to change if and when this song is ever picked up by a publisher, but for now, you can have it free of charge.

Enjoy!

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Sometimes the Children Lead

Job 32:9 reads: “It is not those of many days who are wise, nor the aged who understand the right.”  Elihu, the son of one of Job’s three friends, is upset that his father and the other two have not adequately answered Job’s complaints nor have they condemned Job’s considering himself to be in the right rather than God Almighty.  So, it takes a child to point out the obvious — and sometimes this is still the case today.

Shannon wrote last week about Youth Sing Praise, at which I (Orin) was, on staff as assistant music director and accompanist, and also assisted at prayer.  Additionally, Youth Sing Praise Jr., a one day program for 6-7-8th graders met just on Saturday and prepared and sang that night a song from a musical I co-wrote for YSP a few years ago with my friend Bradley Behrmann.  While the song, “Why Must There Always Be Someone to Hate?” is sung in the show by Uncle Mordechai, the hero of the show is his niece, Queen Esther, herself likely little more than a teenager, saving the Jewish people from the first recorded attempt to exterminate them.

One of the reasons I remain active in various efforts at youth ministry is what I learn from them, particularly about my faith and, simply, how to just get along in the world.  May we all be willing, at times, to let the children lead and teach!

Without further ado, here’s the video of Saturday’s performance, shot by proud dad Shannon, who had two children in the group, including Noah, Godson of me and my wife, who solos on the first line of the song as well as a little later on. Enjoy!

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Are You Listening?

This year, I (Orin) have been posting on Facebook the little doodles that my parish Children’s Choir creates in their music while we are rehearsing.

As I’ve looked through the music which is turned in, in addition to unicorns, flowers, and other odd scribbles, I also look for signs that they are paying attention during rehearsal – they’ve marked a dynamic for a phrase, or where or where not to breathe, or how long to hold a note, etc.

In addition to speaking of the musical elements of a piece, we do spend a little time speaking about the text of a piece, what it means, why we are singing it, and other facets.  So, I was heartened a few days ago that one singer chose to doodle on this text we had spoken about briefly, on this piece the choir sang on Holy Thursday night a couple weeks ago. They were not only paying attention to me and how we worked on the music of the piece, but on the text too, putting these core words of our faith, taught to us by Jesus Christ himself, in their hearts and souls as well.

When Christ – or his ministers in the here and now – teach us, are we listening with only our ears, or our brains, or are we listening to Christ with our hearts and souls as well?

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Rising from the Ashes

Yesterday, I (Orin) and Shannon had the privilege once again of leading music ministry at the Diocese of Belleville Illinois Chrism Mass.  Here are a couple photos of the Cathedral of St. Peter we took yesterday.

 

 

It was impossible to be there without superimposing the images which all over the media on Monday of Notre Dame in Paris.

We have found out since Monday that much of the structure as well as precious pieces of art, relics, the organ, the windows, and so much more survived, after the worst was rightly feared.  There is much to clean up of course, and much to rebuild — years and years worth of effort will be needed to restore the magnificent building.

The thought of “restoring a church from its ashes” causes me to ponder other churches in similar contexts.  Several historically black churches in Louisiana have been recently set ablaze and need to be rebuilt for instance.  And the Church which is the body of Christ, the people gathered by Christ himself, whether the Church of Notre Dame, or at these Louisiana congregations, or the Church Universal, needs to be restored and rebuilt as well.

It is of course the time of year when we journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter and, hopefully, have considered prayerfully what it is about our own spiritual lives that needs to be, with Christ’s salvific power, raised from the ashes and created anew.  The best time to begin that process was Ash Wednesday itself, of course.  The second best time is right now.

Blessings to all of you on this most holy time of our year.