whistling in church

I was rather amused to come into the church today to work on the plans for Holy Week liturgies, when I noticed a bird flying around.
Kind of distracting, but cute. It was apparently very confused. I whistled at it a few times, don't tell Fr. G, (I don't think he would approve of people whistling in church!)
I opened the doors, so it might fly out, but it kept sitting on the stairs that go up to the belltower in back. (The highest point in the church, also by what was the brightest stained glass window, but nowhere near the open door!) stupid bird.
Finally, after about an hour it flew outside.

more options for Mass!

So my post two posts ago got me thinking about this.

I wish that I had more options for where to go to Mass daily. A couple times in the past few weeks, I have had a lot on my mind and have thought to myself, "boy, I wish I could just go to a Tridentine Mass and sit there, and pray, and meditate, and not sing, and not verbally respond..."

But instead, the kinds of factors that go into my decision are things like Mass times, distance from my house, what kind of songs I will be forced to sing, how short of a Mass I want, who I want (or don't want) to listen to a homily from, whether I can understand the priest's accent, and worrying about how much the priest will "improvise" during Mass.

sooo... those are my limiting options (and notice NONE of them included how much I needed/wanted to physically participate in Mass that day!)
And I just wish I could have the OPTION of a Tridentine Mass. (Well, my friend pointed out, "you could if you lived in Detroit...but then again you'd have to deal with the traffic, etc...")

"Music Ministry"

There is a lot of tossing around of the term "such and such ministry" in the Catholic Church, on the level of the laity.

Fr. G has pointed out to me that this is rather incorrect, (outside of sacramental ordination?)

Someone else can sort out the exact terminology or whatever; it seems to be a distinction between a role or office, rather than a ministry, but here's the applicable document:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_30121988_christifideles-laici_en.html

and some relevant excerpts from 23:

"a person is not a minister simply in performing a task, but through sacramental ordination."

"...In the same Synod Assembly, however, a critical judgment was voiced along with these positive elements, about a too-indiscriminate use of the word "ministry"...Precisely to overcome these dangers the Synod Fathers have insisted on the necessity to express with greater clarity, and with a more precise terminology..."

Daily Mass

(I have exactly 4 minutes in which to write this...)

After I woke up this morning, and began thinking about my day (Friday is sort of my day off,) I started thinking, "now, when should I go to Mass? probably noon...and where? there's a couple options...hmmm..this place will take 10 minutes to get there and I don't like such and such about it...but this place is shorter but I don't like the priest usualy...etc..." and I started realizing that my thinking was along the lines of "ugh I have to go to daily Mass today cuz I do every day, and especially cuz I wont get to tomorrow," and I really knew that wasn't quite the right attitude.
So I gave myself the day off. I do not HAVE to go to daily Mass. In fact, it is not even healthy if I am thinking about it in such a way!
So I ended up doing a few good things today, one of which would have had to be eliminated had a taken an hour and gone to Mas; I went for a walk during this gorgeous weather, I finished a good book, I made some nice phone calls, etc.
And I know I made the right decision.
God is pleased with me.
(just maybe someday I will learn to love Mass--every single day!)