We Pray to the Lord - Part 2: For Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder.
In the past it was known as  manic-depressive illness.

More than a mood disorder,
it is actually a brain disorder
that causes shifts in mood,
shifts in energy and activity levels.
Sometimes it makes it next to impossible
to carry out normal daily life.

Mind you,
these are NOT the normal ups and downs
of day to day living.
Bipolar ups and downs are severe, extreme.

In the severe “Up” state
(the manic or hypo-manic state)
the person can manage on little sleep,
if they sleep at all.
They might do something like start putting laundry away,
then shift to cleaning out the closet. . .
. . and before you know it the whole bedroom is re-arranged,
cleaned from top to bottom. . .maybe even painted. . .
And all this happened when the rest of the house was asleep.
And morning comes,
with no sleep having been had,
but another day with other “projects” begins. . . .

Lack of sleep
may bring about
hypnagogic hallucinations,
which has her own set of problems.
Hypnagogic Hallucinations
is the hearing voices,
but this is due to lack of sleep.
It’s like dreaming while you are awake.
It’s like being half awake
and half asleep.
One hears what one would hear
while dreaming in the full sleep state.

In the manic state,
the person may be extremely chatty
and not quite able to understand
why everyone else is not as busy and productive as they are.
It’s often next to impossible
to interrupt the chattiness
as they have so much to say.
They have a hundred million different thoughts
racing through their head
and are trying to get them all out.
And they have a million projects
going on in their head as well.
They become busy and active
trying to accomplish everything
that is going on in their head.

And then there is the “down” state.
It can happen suddenly, quickly.
One moment the person is active, productive
doing all sorts of works and projects,
and quite literally a moment later
they take a 180 and are down. . .
depressed, sleeping.

The shifts in mood can last several days
or even weeks.
The shift can come with little or no warning at all.

Some with bipolar disorder
experience this 2 or 3 times a year.
Some cycle quickly,
in a matter of weeks.
Our household
has experienced
the Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder
often develops in a person's late teens
or early adult years.
At least half of all cases start before age 25.
Some people have their first symptoms during childhood,
while others may develop symptoms late in life.

Bipolar disorder is not easy to spot when it starts.
The symptoms may seem like separate problems,
not recognized as parts of a larger problem.
Those around a person with Bipolar Disorder
might see the separate events
as occurring after some specific event,
the loss of a job, a relationship break-up,
death of a loved one. . .
and, therefore,
miss the mark.

Sometimes,
the events are not so major.
The person might fail to pay phone bill,
even though they have sufficient funds,
and the phone gets turned off.
Or they fail to put laundry away
and things around the house start to pile up.
The depression, the down side,
is so severe,
that these simple every day tasks
are seemingly impossible to do.

Seeing these events,
both the large and small events,
as separate events that might cause depression,
those around a person with Bipolar Disorder
fail to connect the dots.
And so,
many fail to see
that these are all bits and pieces
of a much larger puzzle.

And because of this
some people suffer for years
before they are properly diagnosed and treated.
Like diabetes or heart disease,
bipolar disorder is a long-term illness
that must be carefully managed
throughout a person's life.

And for goodness sake,
find the right doctor.
We spend more time shopping for a used car
than we do for a good doctor.
If your doctor isn’t answering your questions
or helping in the way you need,
fire him/her
and find a doctor who will.
Seriously,
fire your doctor.
This is too important
not to get the help that is needed.

In my next blog entry
I will discuss a bit
about how the medications work
and what exactly they are prescribed for.

For now, though,
you might glean a little something more
from this video.
It’s brief and very informative.

 
For a better understanding of Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

For those with Bipolar Disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

* * * * * *

Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

* Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

We Pray to the Lord - Part 1: For Those Who Are Ill

Please know
that I thought once, twice, thrice
and even more
about posting this.
It’s very personal
and very painful.
But you know,
sometimes we just know
that it’s time to make a move.
Sometimes
it’s just time to speak out.
Sometimes
it’s just plain time.

And with what’s going on in the media lately,
well,
I guess it really is just about time
that I quit holding on to these articles,
finish them up
and post them to my liturgy blog.

Liturgy is Life.
That is the premise of this blog.
Life needs to be a Liturgy.
If what we do and say at the Sacred Liturgy
doesn’t match what’s going in our lives,
well,
then something is wrong.

But sometimes things don’t match
because people are afraid to speak out,
afraid to speak up
and say that a problem
or a situation exists.

Because if a problem exists
the liturgy will get messy,
and in turn,
our lives and our ministries will get messy.
We will need to change
how we view certain things,
how we do certain things.

So be it.
SO BE IT.
Maybe the change is necessary.
At least it is for me.
And so,
after thinking and re-thinking this blog post
(and the subjects of the posts that will follow)
I write about my experience,
what I have learned.
And I hope
this will help someone somewhere.

And so,
I begin with The Holy Mass,
the Sacred Liturgy itself.
I spend so much time there.
I attend or serve as a musician
for 2 or 3 parishes each week.

At most masses
during The Prayers of The Faithful
we tend to remember those who are ill.
Sometimes
we mention people by name
because they are in special need of God’s healing power.
And sometimes
the mass is specifically scheduled
for those who are ill
to receive the sacrament of anointing.

But what do we mean when we pray,
“for those who are ill, we pray to the Lord??”
It’s a good prayer,
and one that needs to be prayed.

. . .but sometimes I wonder
if we are just handing our needs over to God
and saying, “Daddy, fix this.”
Sometimes we have no alternative.
Sometimes only The Merciful One can heal.

But sometimes, I think,
we just don’t want to deal with things ourselves.
Sometimes, even,
we utter the words
so that we won’t have to do anything more.

Even more,
we make ourselves “busy” in prayer
with rosaries and novenas
so that it will look like
we are doing something about the situation.

Now,
don’t get me wrong.
I believe the prayers at mass
are good and necessary.
I believe that rosaries, novenas
and other prayers
said at home or in private
have the utmost value.
And I am in no way stating
that we should stop the prayers
for those who are ill.

Remember,
this is the person
who oft has blogged about
the power of words spoken and written,
about The Power of The Word.

So please,
don’t get me wrong here.

But I must say I’m reminded of that hymn in Spanish,
Con Vosotros Esta. . . .

“Su nombre es el Señor y pasa hambre
Y clama por la boca del hambriento,
Y muchos que lo ven pasan de largo,
Acaso por llegar temprano al templo.”

(His name is the Lord and He is hungry
He calls to you from the mouths of the hungry
But many just pass him by
just so they can get to church early)
   
“Su nombre es el Señor y sed soporta
Y esta en quien de justicia esta sediento,
Y muchos que lo ven pasan de largo
A veces ocupados en sus rezos.”

(His name is the Lord and He is very thirsty
and He is all of those who thirst for justice
But many just pass Him by
too busy with their private prayers)

Sometimes we say the prayer
because it’s easier to take the time to pray
than to take the time and
going over and asking our neighbor
how we can help them
with the illness found in their household.

Let’s face it.
Sometimes saying the prayer with words
is easier
than being the prayer in action.

Let me say that again:
Sometimes saying the prayer with words
is easier
than being the prayer in action.

Am I making sense to anyone?
Or am I just venting?
Either way
I’ve got your attention.
Please read on.
Perhaps you’ll learn something.

In my extended family over the years
we’ve been challenged by asthma,
diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrom,
scleroderma, carpal tunnel
and ADHD.

There was even a time
where I, myself,
was hospitalized twice during the same year.
And the time
when I was walking with a cane,
which in the end turned out to be
a misdiagnosis.

My mother,
now in her eighties,
took a fall in the spring of last year
and had to have surgery
due to a broken shoulder.
Visits to the orthopedist
are now part of her regular medical care.

But none of the above
is what I intend to focus on in this blog
at this time. . .

. . there is one illness. . .
one illness that has forced me
to get educated. . .

. . .One illness
that has required much, much more from me
than a myriad of recited prayers,
though believe you me,
I’ve done more than my share.

Someone very close to me
was diagnosed
with Bipolar Disorder
in November of 2010.
At the time,
the diagnosis
came as a relief.
We finally understood
what was causing the problems.

Finding the right medication, however,
proved to be quite another cross to bear,
taking a year and a half
just to find the right meds,
meds that didn’t send things
into a further state of depression.
And we still aren’t quite there yet.
We’re close,
but not quite there yet with medication.

Still so much to learn,
so much to learn.

And while we are learning
and coping
the outside world continues,
the church continues to offer Her prayers,
for those who are ill.

But you know
I have never heard a prayer petition
in The Prayers of The Faithful
specifically asking for healing
for those with Bipolar Disorder,
though I have heard other illnesses mentioned.
I have NEVER heard a petition
for Bipolar Disorder.

And what’s more
few ask us about Bipolar
and how they can help.
At least two people
have asked me about aggressive behavior,
which I found to be so off the mark.
They obviously
don’t know or understand
Bipolar Disorder.

And so few ask
how they can help with Bipolar.

I think it may have a to do with
a fear of the unknown.
In all honesty,
I think it may have to do
with sheer ignorance.
People don’t ask
because they don’t know what to ask.
People don’t move from recited prayers
because they don’t know how.
People don’t move from recited prayers
because sometimes they just don’t want to.
To become the prayer, well,
that can get very messy.

It’s not an illness
that confines one to bed or hospital,
although at times it might.

It’s not an illness
that requires a cane or a wheelchair.

It’s not an illness
that requires IV therapy,
although at times it might.

In short,
bipolar disorder is not an illness
that one can see directly,
unless of course,
you are living with
or very close to a person with this disorder.
Bipolar Disorder
is an invisible disease.

But it is an illness
that requires much love and patience.
It requires persistence, perseverance
and insistence from medical personnel.

Bipolar Disorder
is an illness
that requires much time and attention
from those who care for those with this disorder.

And,
yes, my friends,
it surely requires prayer.
And, I might add,
prayers recited
and prayers of action.

I will write more about bipolar disorder
in the weeks to come.
I will about what it is
and what it isn’t.
I will write about ways
that you can help those with Bipolar Disorder,
and how to help those
who care for those Bipolar Disorder.   

My friend, Marcy,
always states
that everything happens for a reason.
Perhaps one of the reasons
our family has been called
to live with Bipolar Disorder
is to help educate others about it,
to help others through it.
And so,
in the days/weeks to come
I will write a lot about the subject.

But for a now
a few things
that may surprise you.

There is a connection between ADHD
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivety Disorder)
and Bipolar Disorder.
(And if you think ADHD is only about
consuming excessive sugar,
you are really neanderthal in your thinking
and need to do some extensive reading.)

There is also a correlation
between seizures and Bipolar Disorder.
(For our family member
the bipolar progressed extremely rapidly
after a few seizures, which, at the time,
the doctors could not explain.)

Bipolar Disorder
affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans,
or about 2.6% of the U.S. population
age 18 and older every year.

83% of cases of Bipolar Disorder are classified as severe.

The median age of onset for Bipolar Disorder is 25 years.

Bipolar Disorder is the sixth leading cause
of disability in the world.

Some 20% of adolescents with major depression
develop Bipolar Disorder
within five years of the onset of depression.
(A friend of mine has a teenage son
who struggles with depression,
and I am writing these blog entries, in part, for her.)

Some with Bipolar Disorder develop a dual diagnosis.
They may start drinking or taking drugs
in an effort to numb the symptoms of their mental condition
and “even out” their bipolar state.
They aren’t drinking/taking drugs to get high,
but to experience what most of us call “normal,”
trying to get up and out of the black hole of depression
and “up” into a state of normalcy.
It is, for the most part,
an unconscious attempt to self-medicate.
But this, in turn,
brings on a whole slew of other problems
to be contended with.

Prison systems have a significant number
of dual diagnosis patients under lock and key.
Research has found that over 20%
of those currently residing in the United States prison system
could be classified as dual diagnosis.

The rate of suicides among people with Bipolar Disorder
is even higher than that for schizophrenics.
Some studies have come up with rates as high as 30%-50%.
Those with a dual diagnosis
have the highest risk of suicide.

Each year, over 30,000 people in the U.S.
take their own lives.
More than 90% of these people
are believed to have
a diagnosable mental disorder.

So,
the next time you say a prayer for those who are ill
I ask you,
I beg you
to specifically say a prayer
for those who live with bipolar disorder.
And then,
if our Good and Gracious God calls you to it,
become the prayer in action.

For those with bipolar disorder,
We Pray to The Lord.

For doctors and medical personnel
who treat bipolar disorder,
We Pray to The Lord.

For those family and friends
and others who care for those
with bipolar disorder,
We Pray to the Lord.

St. Dymphna, Pray for us.

Our Lady of Good Health, Pray for us.

Dearest Jesus,
Please afford all those in need of healing
the ability to reach up
and touch the hem of your garment.
Amen.

* * * * * *

* Part 1 - For Those Who are Ill

Part 2 - For A Better Understanding of Bipolar Disorder

Part 3 - For A Better Understanding Of The Medications Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Part 4 - To Get To Know Others With Bipolar Disorder

Part 5 -  For A Better Understanding Of The Different Types Of Bipolar Disorder

Part 6 - That We May Learn To Listen To Those With Bipolar Disorder

Part 7 - What Can I Do To Help Someone With Bipolar Disorder?

Part 8 - To Learn More About Bipolar Disorder

What is this tradition of "Posada?"

What is this tradition of Posadas? 
The editor of Detroit’s SW Vicariate newsletter 
asked me to write something about it
and then time just went creeping by. 
I never actually wrote anything. 
Sorry, Todd. 
I really did mean to write up something.


But now, well, 
the choir will host the Posada tomorrow night 
and the event is on my mind. 
I suppose late is better than never. 
And, at the very least, 
Todd will have the basis for an article 
for next year’s Vicariate Newsletter.


Before I explain what a Posada is, however, 
I think we must first define/describe Popular Regiosity.
For the fact is, Popular Regiousity (or popular piety) 
is one of the greatest tools for evangelization there is.


Popular Religiousity is an adaption of culture to worship. 
The faithful attempt to hold on to culture, 
to tradition, to language through faith. 
Rosaries and novenas are good examples of this. 
What the faithful do is take those items 
of the Roman Catholic Church 
that have fostered the faith 
and create an “interior liturgy.” 
This interior liturgy encompasses 
and embraces their art and their music,
their language and their culture, 
and of course, their faith.


And now, before I continue, 
I guess I should define liturgy. 
Literally, 
liturgy comes from the Greek word “Leitourgia.” 
That, in turn, comes from two Greek words: Laos Ergon. 
To put it simply, it is the work of the people. 
It is a work all of the people must do 
and a work all of the people will benefit from. 
I won’t go too much further than that here 
as the goal of this blog entry is to define/describe Posada. 
And while Posada is not a formal liturgy of the church, 
it is liturgical in nature 
as it is a prayerful work of the people 
which, in turn, helps to build up the Kingdom of God.


Posada is not formal liturgy, 
but a good example of Popular Religiousity. 
The beautiful tradition of the Posada 
dates back to the sixteenth century. 
St. Ignatius of Loyola 
suggested that prayers be said on nine successive days. 
In 1580, 
St. John of the Cross 
made a religious pageant out of the proceedings, 
which were later introduced to Mexico 
by Spanish missionaries.
Eventually, 
the Posada tradition left the church building 
and was held in private homes.


Scripture, prayer, and song all form part of the Posada. 
A rosary may be prayed 
or sometimes there is a Pastorela 
in conjunction with the Posada. 

OK. 
Now another defnition/description is needed here. 
A Pastorela is a creative play, 
a drama of the Nativity. 
But more than just a re-enacting 
of what took place in Bethlehem, 
a Pastorela tries to show the struggles
between good and evil. 
It shows the journey the shepherds made, 
the journey that we make. 
A Pastorela is the story of trials and tribulations; 
of those (the shepherds) who originally went seeking Christ,
but ours as well. 
So you see, 
it doesn’t always take place like a traditional Christmas story. 
Those who sponsor a Pastorela 
may decide to make the script more contemporary, 
more creative. 
It’s part play and part ritual: Popular Religiosity. 
Anyhow, 
a Pastorela may very well be incorporated 
into and with a Posada.


The Posada is a novena 
and the novena begins on December 16 
and culminates with the celebration 
of the incarnation of our Lord on La Noche Buena 
(literally, The Good Night - Christmas Eve).


Since the Posada is an oral tradition, 
it varies from one location to the next. 
Some communities pray and sing 
with a nativity scene as the focal point. 
Some communities literally go from house to house 
in their neighborhoods - some even with a live burro! 
Some assume the roles of the innkeepers and of Mary and Joseph. Some are “dentro” (inside). 
Some are “fuera” (outside).


The Posada is more
than the reenacting of the Gospel stories 
of Mary and Joseph seeking lodging 
(Posada means lodging). 
La Posada, 
as popular religiosity, is an interior liturgy. 
La Posada makes us owners of the nativity story. 

What do you feel when you listen to the story 
of Mary and Joseph seeking and not finding lodging? 
Do you recall a time in your life 
when you were “outside?”
Who accepted you in the end? 
Do you know someone
- a friend, a co-worker, a classmate - 
that is outside of the group? 
What can we do to bring that person in? 
Mary and Joseph are knocking at your door today. 
How will you respond? 
Will you let them into your household? 
Will you turn them away? 
What do you tell Mary 
when she asks for a place in your heart to rest
- a place for Christ to be born? 
Do you let her in?


Without getting too political here 
I can say that the topic of immigration 
makes Posada all the more heart-wrenching. 
Who is permitted to stay in this country? 
Who must leave? 
Who is an outsider?
Dad and the kids can stay 
but mom must leave. 
Mom and dad must leave 
but the children can stay. 
Yes, 
a Posada can really bring home 
the idea of being “in” or of being “out.”


The great journey of La Posada continues - 
from the City of David some two thousand years go 
to 16th century Europe 
to an infant Mexico 
and into our hearts today. 
When the event comes into our hearts 
we create the interior liturgy. . . .


. . . .And there is still much work to do.

Compás Center for the Performing Arts

It’s been quite a while
Since I posted something of substance to this blog.
There are a lot of reasons for that,
But I won’t go into that right now.
For now,
I want to tell you about
Another decision I made recently.

About a week ago,
An old friend of mine came to mass.
I’ve known Ismael for years.
He used to work as the pastoral musician
At Detroit’s Holy Redeemer.

While I was yet at Ste. Anne,
He and I worked together with Dr. Norah Duncan, IV
To present Ariel Ramirez’ Misa Criolla.
. . and then there was the mobile music school
of the MOSES organization. . .
the Detroit Youth Symphony in the plaza. . .
. . .most recently Ismael helped to bring
the DSO youth to Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo Fiesta,
an event I’m so involved which each year. . .
yeah, Ismael and I go way back. . . .

He spent some time in Chile
(his native land)
and then returned to Detroit.
He quickly landed a job
As the Director of Compás Center for the Performing Arts.

I’ve seen Compás.
I drive by there all the time.
I’m sadden to say,
That until last week
I never ventured into the building.

Anyhow,
Ismael came to see me.
He said he needed a piano instructor
For the summer program.
I don’t know what happened
To the instructor he had lined up.

I said I’d think about it.
Although I had thought about teaching,
I wasn’t sure that I was quite ready.
But you know,
When The Call comes,
Most of us aren’t.
And I do consider my musicianship
A Calling.
God gave me a mother
Who instilled in me a love for music
And she made sure I went to the Conservatory
Every week. . . even on summer vacation. . .
I consider myself Graced. . .
. . .also called by that same Grace
to share the gift of music. . .
But now???
At Compás???
Couldn’t it wait until the fall???
Yeah. . . .
. . .we always make excuses, don’t we?

The very least I could do
Is spend some time with an old friend
And see the center.
I had a meeting with Ismael over at Compás.
That building is amazing!
One would never guess such an amazing center
For the performing arts was right there
In the heart of SW Detroit.
A dance hall with mirrors and ballet bars,
Guitars, keyboards,
Concert hall. . . you name, they have it!

Once I saw all of the photos of inner city youth
All around that building,
I had no other alternative but to say, “yes.”

So, beginning tomorrow
(on Tuesday and Thursdays)
I will be teaching the piano/keyboard classes
At Compás Center for the Performing Arts.

Now,
Why would I write about this in a Liturgy blog?
Because Liturgy is Life
And Life is Liturgy.

Oh,
I know Liturgy with a capital “L”
Is the public worship of the Church.
But liturgy with a small “l”
Is the stuff of our daily lives
That helps to build up church.
Sometimes the call to serve
Comes from places
other than on the church grounds.

Liturgy, as we all know,
Is the work of the people.
But it’s not just any work.
It’s a work done with the people,
For the people,
To build up the people and the community.
It’s a work
To make the community better.

I can sing my heart out on Sunday.
I can rehearse choirs.
But if I am not creating
The pastoral musician
Who will one day replace me
I am not doing the work
God commissioned me to do.

At mass last Thursday
I asked some of the members
Of the children’s choir
If they were taking any classes at Compás.
Many were.
I told them that I was going to be teaching.
It wasn’t hard to find new recruits!
Sunday morning I was passing out brochures
To the families that were interested.

So,
The classes may not be in church
Or on church grounds
Or have anything to do with the parish. .
.. . but really, it does.
It affects and effects
The children of the community.
That, my friends,
Makes it liturgy with a small “l,”
Which can only serve to build
Liturgy with a capital “L.”

Life is a Liturgy.
And I am just delighted
That our good and gracious God
Is finding more and more ways
For me to serve in the inner city.
It is life giving beyond measure.

Check it Out:
Compás Center for the Performing Arts

More On Decisions

Recent decisions in my life
Have changed my worship
And rehearsal schedule.

Because of recent decisions made,
I now serve as a pastoral musician,
And choir director,
For six different liturgies
In two different languages
Rehearsing five different groups
In three different parishes.
Every week.
OK. . .well… .one of those groups
Only rehearses every other week.
And not all of those groups sing every week.
And not all of those masses have a choir.
But. . .still. . . .my worship schedule has changed.

I know.
it sounds a bit frazzled,
But it isn’t really.
My music planning tends to overlap.
It’s really only a challenge
In the sense that these parishes
All use different hymnals.
For the most part,
The day and time of each of these liturgies
And rehearsals don’t conflict.

Well. . .at least they didn’t
Until late summer
When I was formally asked
To form/direct a children’s choir
For one of these parishes.

A part of me really wanted to do this.
Of all the groups I have led over the years,
There are two kinds of groups
That are just so life giving to me:
Women’s choirs
And
Children’s choirs.

These children are bilingual,
Though not all of them are bi-literate.
Their parents primary speak Spanish.

This children’s choir, however,
Would require me spending much time
In inner city Detroit.
I’ve been involved in an inner city ministry before.
It really takes a special commitment
To this ministry.

A part of me resisted. .. .
The distance to drive
(especially in snowy weather),
The pay would be meager,
And just the plain messiness
That comes with inner city work.

Don’t get me wrong.
I firmly believe that an inner city ministry
Brings forth great blessings to those involved.
But the pastoral musician
Called to serve in such a place
Must have the vision
To see beyond the messiness
And peal away the layers
To bring forth the gems that are hiding there.

The week to week involvement with the children
Would require a slight change
In my involvement
With the primary parish I serve in.
That seemed to work itself out
Without too much of a kerfuffle.
At least,
It did at first.

But then. . . well. . .
I was asked to prepare the children for Christmas.
I had to think long and hard about that.
I had to pray, reflect and discern.
To accept this
Meant that I would not be present for Christmas
At my primary parish.

In the end,
The decision I made
Was to spend this Christmas
In this Southwest Detroit parish.

This would still require me
To prepare Christmas with my primary parish,
Although other musicians,
Guest musicians,
would accompany.

No, this was not an easy decision to make.
And certainly not one
that will earn me any income.

In fact,
I will end up in the red financially by doing this.
But, as I said in a previous blog entry,
Decisions made via a true discernment process
Are not about money.
If it were,
I probably wouldn’t be involved
In any kind of ministry at all.

Inner city ministry is a special calling.
It’s messy.
Participants are often transitory.
There’s a different concept of time,
A different concept of structure.

There is a deep reverence
Given to popular piety,
A strong commitment
To popular faith expression.
Sadly,
the gift of popular religiosity
is often looked upon as superstitious
or not needeed
in suburban parishes.
So, this aspect of this particular parish
really is gift.

Liturgy is noisy here.
Really.
The liturgy is noisy.
For those of you who like that quite time after receiving the Eucharist
Or after the readings. . .well. . .
You can just forget that.
It’s not gonna happen. . .
. . .at least, not at this particular parish.
(another reason to seek the quiet
that comes in the early morning hours.)

Children acting like children abound.
Sometimes parents don’t realize
That they ought to be in the cry room
Or just watched a little better.
Now, that’s not a complaint nor a criticism.
In fact,
It’s praise.
Young couples with young children
Are going to church in droves
In the inner city, at least, in this parish.
How awesome is that?
I think that is absolutely magnificent.
But that creates…well. . .a messy and noisy liturgy.

If you can’t become a part of the messiness
Of this type of liturgical life
Then inner city ministry is not your calling.

If you can’t see the tremendous possibilities
That lay dormant
Waiting to blossom and become,
Dormant in the children
And in the noise,
Then inner city ministry is not your calling.

If you are the person in the pew
That is complaining because some wayward child
Just ran down the center aisle
And the parent is nowhere to be found,
Then inner city ministry is not for you.

If you are the person who realizes
That mom and dad both work
And one of them is still struggling
To get their immigration papers in order
And that even though their three-year-old daughter
Just ran down the aisle
It’s consecration.
And they need to be in the moment,
In the sacred space of the moment. . .
.. .well, maybe then you realize
the gift that is inner city.
The little girl isn’t going anywhere.
In fact,
She’s in church.
What an absolutely fabulous place for her to be.
It’s noisy and messy.

But mom and dad and daughter,
With all of their life’s struggles,
Are in church.
I praise God for that
And I’ll find my personal quiet time with God.
Some other time.
For this liturgy
Is a communal prayer moment.
And in order to be in the communion
One must accept the mess
And the noise that comes with it.

That’s not to say
That we shouldn’t work
At creating sacred silence in the liturgy,
At having parents use the cry room.
It’s only to say
That inner city liturgical life
Is a very unique experience, indeed.

There is also great creativity
In an inner city ministry.
When people don’t have a lot of money
To accomplish their goals
They find some very creative ways
Of reaching those goals.
And this is one thing that I absolutely love:
The Creativity.

Now, don’t get me wrong.
I am in no way saying that suburban folk aren’t creative.
It’s just a different sort of creativity.
And as a poet and musician,
I find that I am constantly seeking out
Different forms of being creative.

Having said all of the above
I realize that I am the musician
That can see those gems, those pearls,
That are lying dormant,
That are waiting to grow and become. . .
. .. I have the eyes that see
the gift that comes in the messiness.
I can see the gems in the children.
I can see the great gifts
That this inner city parish
Can give to the larger church.

If I didn’t see it,
This decision
Would not have been so hard.

And yet,
There are some who have treated me
Absolutely terrible because of it.
So be it.

Of all of the things I learned in Cursillo,
I think this is what stays with me most:
“To See, To Judge, To Act.”
The thing is,
If you can see it
You have a responsibility to act upon it.

And I think maybe
Those who aren’t happy with my decision
Probably just can’t see it.

I know that I will eventually
Be called to make some other decisions later.
But that bridge cannot be crossed
Until she presents herself.
And with the clustering process,
It would seem that some paths are being made
For me, and for others,
That aren’t quite totally visible yet.
I cannot decide to continue on any one path
Until all of those paths are set clear before me.

And what of my primary parish?
Who will lead music for Christmas?
Well, first of all,
There are some very competent musicians
Who are a part of the music every week.
It certainly is not a situation
Where no one was left to lead music.
And, to be quite honest,
I was a bit surprised
At how easy it was
To find a guest organist/pianist
For each of the Christmas masses.
And even though one musician
Who had previously committed to lead music
Then recanted their offer to help,
It was by the grace of God
That another musician
Quite literally picked up the phone
And called me to say,
“Here I Am!”

In a previous blog
I wrote about how some decisions
Bring about gifts we never would have expected.
One of the guest musicians I found
Was actually feeling a bit out of sorts.
This was going to be the first year
That this person
didn’t serve as pastoral musician for Christmas
In many years.
This person actually thanked me
For the opportunity to sing God’s praises
For the celebration of Christmas.
But you see,
It takes my not being present
To create this opportunity.
It takes my being absent from music
To give the gift of music to another.

And I must be totally honest.
The clustering situation really is taking it’s toll on me.
A part of me wishes
We would just go ahead and get on with it.
Cluster us.
Merge us.
Whatever it is we are to be,
Just create it already.

If some of us will lose our jobs,
Well. . .tell us already.
If our mass schedule will change,
Let’s go ahead and change it already.
If we must get a new pastor
Or worship in a different church building,
Why can’t we just get on with the process
And do it already???
I’ve been at this primary parish
For 3½ years now
And while I knew and understood
That this process was taking place,
It just amazes me
How much the clustering process
Is just dragging along.


I am not the type of pastoral musician
Who comes in just to “fill in the slot,”
Making sure that this mass or that mass
Has someone “doing” music.
I need to belong.
I am not the person who just comes in,
Plays for mass and then leaves.
I have an ardent desire
To belong to the community I serve in.

“To See, To Judge, To Act.”
I would rather act
Than react.
And I can only act
With the information I have.

Spending Christmas in southwest Detroit is a process.
I am creating some new friendships,
Developing some new relationships
That I am very happy to have.
The inner city will probably never
Pay a salary to a pastoral musician/music director
That a suburban parish can.
But I find that I do belong to this community.
And, whatever else may happen with the clustering process,
I have a great weight lifted from my shoulders
Knowing that this parish
is willing to adopt me,
If only to prepare children for Christmas.
Do you understand?
I belong.

I hope you enjoyed the song, Mi burrito Sabanero.
This song is one of the many songs
that the children of Detroit
are preparing for Christmas.
And you know,
I can teach them this song.
If I couldn’t, well, the decision to do Christmas
In Detroit wouldn’t have been so hard.
But I can teach them.
And if I don’t teach them,
. . .well. . . that would make me
About as useful
As the person from that gospel story
A few weeks ago
Who buried his talent.
I don’t know about you,
But I can’t own that.

The Cursillo taught me
“to see, to judge, to act,”
and so, I did.

My sincerest apologies
To those who feel slighted by my decision,
For that was never my intention.
And please realize
That there are other circumstances,
Circumstances that I cannot type
On to this electronic parchment.
But rest assured,
these important decisions
are always made by yours truly
in and with a discerning Spirit.

God Bless on us on this special Day
(December 12th)!
And God bless the children
who love to sing about the Bethlehem Burro!

Fiddlin' Around

Last weekend I went to the Irish Festival
here in Wyandotte,
the city where I live.

Anyone who knows me very well,
knows that I just love ethnic festivals
and art fairs and what not.

I love all things creative and artistic,
even when not of the genre I prefer.

I mean,
I love a good Mariachi.
But still, I attended the Irish festival.

So, what’s my point?
At this Irish Festival
I had a most wonderful time.
A wonderful and talented group
of young musicians performed, and,
well, what can I say but that they were just awesome!

Being a musician,
I can appreciate the quality of their musicianship.. .
. . taking cues from each other,
acknowledging each other,
assisting each other.

And their preparedness and confidence. . .
. . what a gift!
And they just seemed to be having
one good time!
To top it all off,
they were all teenagers!

Now, why would I blog about this
in a liturgy blog?
As always,
I try to make the connection
between liturgy and life.
I mean,
sometimes we go to church
and listen and pray and sing,
but make no real connection
with what goes on
in the church building on Sunday
and what goes on in everyday life.

The point is,
we need to celebrate the gifts God has given to us.
And we need to expand them
and share them.
And we need to really appreciate
the gifts that others bring,
even when we prefer another genre of gift.
And quite often
that gift is not a part of the Liturgy of Sunday,
indeed,
not even a part of the ecclesial structure at all,
but a part of the Liturgy of Life.

Laos Ergon - remember that?
The work of the people.
In the Liturgy of Life
we are constantly sharing the gift,
expanding the gift,
receiving the gift,
accepting the gift,
giving the gift.
Sadly,
unless it’s connected to the institutional church,
many just plain don’t recognize the giftedness of others.

These young people celebrate,
share, and are obviously
constantly expanding their gift.

Their parents recognized the gift,
and did what they could,
are doing what they can,
to bring out the gift.

Their teachers recognized the gift,
and did what they could to make the gift more.

And, together,
the community around these young people
are bringing this gift to others. . .
. . .which is how I came upon them
at the Irish festival.

The thing is,
when you celebrate the gifts
that our Good and Gracious God has given you,
well,
that plain and simply is
a song of praise to the Master Designer.

Enough of Rubi’s Ramblings.
Here they are
in a video I took in Wyandotte, MI.
Don’t forget to visit them at their website:
FiddlersRestrung.com

Welcome to Liturgy House

Hello and welcome to Liturgy House. Here I hope to muse, reflect and perhaps even challenge others, especially those of us for whom worship, liturgy, the bible, church life and ministry are a part of the very fiber of our being.

Liturgy is life. What’s more, Life is Liturgy. Liturgy, with a capital "L", should reinforce and lock in time in a public way and before God that which already is (life). If a young couple is in love and they choose to spend the rest of their lives with each other (and they choose a church wedding) they make it a public and formal ritual by celebrating the sacrament. That is to say, through the liturgy. In a sense, they were already about "the work" of the wedding liturgy by developing their relationship. Their life is a liturgy, small "l".

This hypothetical wedding, and indeed all Worship and Liturgy, cannot and should not be planned in a fashion that is disconnected from the lives of the assembly who gather. Liturgy is more than just ritual. I repeat what I stated in the previous paragraph: Liturgy is Life & Life is Liturgy.

Sometimes, however, a worshiping community can be disconnected from what is going on in their own neighborhoods, in their own backyards. . . .indeed, disconnected from "the work" that is life. This disconnect can cause a disconnect in the work of Liturgy, a disconnect in the manner and fashion in which Liturgy is celebrated. Slowly but surely I’ll expound on these thoughts through "the work" of this blog.

And so, I have created this blog because there are so very many thoughts dancing around in my head. Oh, and somewhere along the way I’ll surely write about dancing in the Liturgy. And art and environment. And Music. And I’ll surely write on one of my favorite subjects: Cultural Adaptation!. . . .and before anyone starts writing and commenting and calling me a heretic, let say publically here and now that I can barely imagine a Dia Doce celebration without Matachin. For those of you who don’t know what Matachin is, what Dia Doce is, well. . .you’ll just need to trust me and check in on this blog every now and again!

Having said all of the above, let me simply state that it is sometimes just plain cathartic to write, to just release the words from one’s mind!

And when, in fact, we release those words and place them on parchment (albeit, electronic parchment), they often return to us with ideas from others. And so, the dialogue begins.

And isn’t liturgy celebrated best in dialogue, when all respond, participate?

Welcome to my house, to our house, to Liturgy house.
Mi Casa es Tu Casa.
Peace to all who enter here.

Espanol Aqui / Spanish Here

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About the photo: I have a particular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Can you tell? I've visited the Basilica in Mexico City several times and even had the honor of serving with my friends as guest choir. Yes, we'll surely discuss popular piety here at Liturgy House!