Entries For: April 2010
Apr 07, 2010
the meaning of 'alleluia'...
Friends,
In their new book, Uncommon Gratitude, Sister Joan Chittister asks Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, what most interests him in the spiritual life. “I find myself coming back again and again to the meaning of ‘alleluia’”, he replies.
In the Easter season, the alleluias return to our speech in worship. But as offer alleluias, we do so in a world where resurrection is often resisted, ignored, or seems ridiculous with evidence to the contrary. What do our alleluias mean now?
Like Mary Magdalene, we often arrive at places of Resurrection while still in the dark, unaware that there is life all around while all we see is the absence, the missing. In remaining, in seeking for life while humming alleluias, we attach ourselves to God’s courage, to a willingness to face what is before us, to witness.
If the musicians at All Souls were any better, they would levitate. But while you might not think of your voice as a lovely instrument, I hope you will begin practicing the alleluias again, both in worship and in the world. If someone overhears you, they might ask what you meant by that. Well, what do they mean now?
Blessings to you during this Easter season,
Brian +
