Queen Mary

August 22, 2013:  Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Jgs 11:29-39a   Jephthah vowed to offer first person he sees if Lord delivers Ammonites. After victory, he sees his daughter, keeps vow.

Ps 40:5, 7-10  Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Mt 22:1-14  Kingdom like king giving wedding feast, summoning guests who refused. "Feast ready; invited unworthy; invite whomever." Hall filled; one not in wedding garment. "Cast him bound into darkness. Many invited; few chosen.”Music

Here I am, Lord/ Michael Ward, from Open our hearts (CD from WLP)

Michael is such a talented composer, arranger, pianist, and now—I just discovered—jazz violinist!   We met in 1987 when he was music director at St. Francis Xavier and I was at Fordham; I'd written an add-on for music notation software we both used (Personal Composer, now for Windows, then for MS-DOS :-).  I've done almost every hymn in Open Our Hearts at Mass, including A new commandment at our wedding, as well as many of his brilliant but unfortunately unpublished responsorial psalms.  He has extensive Broadway credits as well (these are incomplete).  Too bad I missed his return to SFX.

Ven al banquete (Come to the feast)/ Bob Hurd and Pia Moriarty

(not directly from gospel, but I like it too :-)

Hail, Holy Queen, from Sister Act (sheet music) (today's feast)

• Music tie:  manuscript for Jephthah's daughter playing the tambourine, note "heads" for what happened after Dad "did to her as he had vowed." (1st reading)
• "Scales" pin: Jephthah as judge of Israel (1st reading); "I announced your justice in the vast assembly" (psalm)
• Blue shirt:  "Blessed Mother blue" (today's feast)

• Claddagh tie pin:  crown for Mary Queen of Heaven (today's feast), king giving wedding feast, (gospel); heart for "law within my heart" (psalm) and wedding feast (gospel)
• "People" tie pin:  Ammonites (1st reading), wedding feast invitees and attendees (gospel)

Oops; I forgot my silverware tie bar for the wedding feast (gospel)!

Msgr. Brennan, thanks for your fine homily with its reminder to take our promises seriously balanced with Archbishop Niederauer's quip that "some faith [such as in a god who would make us sacrifice our children] should be lost" (citation needed).  The readings are indeed challenging, whether or not guests were provided wedding garments upon entrance (Bible Gateway and Bible Study Tools speculation).

Word cloud from today's readings