I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. (Rev 14:1-3, 4b-5)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112122.cfm
Music is essential to worship. The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a part of early Christian legend. In many Latin American countries there is the custom of the presentation of children at 3 years of age. Today’s music is the Ave María by my late friend and harpist, Donna Germano.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, November 21
