TWENTY‑SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Lectionary #140

Since the readings for this Sunday deal with marriage, the following reflections may prove useful.

Parish Celebrations of Marriage

Today's first reading, psalm, and Gospel are all included in the Lectionary for Mass as options for the celebration of mar­riage, and they are among the most frequently chosen texts. The proclamation of these Scripture passages today presents pastoral musicians with a wonderful opportunity to choose music from the ordinary parish repertoire that is also suitable for weddings.

Today's liturgy also presents pastoral musicians with an opportunity to take a critical look at the way in which music is used at weddings. Is the musical participation of the assembly normally presumed and made a priority in planning weddings? Is a psalmist/cantor normally present to proclaim the psalm and, as needed, to lead the rest of the assembly in song?

Is priority given to the selection of familiar acclamations as well as hymns and songs for the assembly?

Interestingly enough, a similar opportunity to look at music for funerals will present itself on November 2, especially in those years when All Souls replaces the regular Sunday celebration in the Roman calen­dar.

Music Suggestions

Choral Anthems

Music Suggestions

Genesis 2:18-24. As in the first creation narrative (Gen 1:27), there is a similarity between human beings and God. Stated explicitly in the first narrative (humans are created “in the divine image”), this connection is suggested in the second narrative by the power of “the man” (Adam) to name God’s creation. God appears a little slow to catch on in this reading, forming various animals as a “suitable partner” for the man but not getting it right until the appropriate partner is created and accepted as “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

Psalm of the Day: Ps (127) 128
The psalm sings the praises of orderly family life as a divine blessing.

Blest Are Those Who Love You (Haugen) RS 173/GC 125/GC2 70/CBW 628/WC 441
Dichoso el que Teme al Señor—Respuesta I (Taulé) FYC 266
Happy Are They (Foley) PCY7 58
Happy Are Those Who Fear the Lord (Chepponis) GIA 2858
Happy Are Those Who Fear the Lord (Kreutz) PSC 68
Happy Are Those Who Fear the Lord (Stewart) PCY5 13
How Happy Are You PSL B-175/SS
Like Olive Branches, ref. 2 (Deiss) PMB 333/WC 690
May the Lord Bless and Protect Us (Gelineau/Murray) WOR 944/RS 172/LPGG 949
May the Lord Bless and Protect Us (Guimont) GC2 997/LPMG 140
May the Lord Bless and Protect Us (Stahl) PMB 171
May the Lord Bless Us (Alstott) BB
May the Lord Bless Us (Cooney) PRM B97/PMB 721/WS
May the Lord Bless Us (Haugen/Kodner) RS 173/GC 125/GC2 70
May the Lord Bless Us (Hunstiger) SS
May the Lord Bless Us (Schiavone) LP 172/JS 1027
May the Lord Bless Us (Somerville) CBW 191
O Blessed Are Those (Inwood) MI‑BB/JS 104/GP 273
Que Dios Nos Bendiga (Grajeda) GP 274
We Praise You, vss 6,7 (Balhoff et al.) GP 677/GC 541/GC2 540/MI‑BB/RS 694/JS 626

Suggested Common Psalms

Ps (18) 19: Lord, You Have the Words
Ps (26) 27: The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Hebrews 2:9-11. Christ is presented as the exemplar who models the divine plan for us. Through Christ, we all achieve our identity as having “one origin.”

Mark 10:2-16. Jesus’ interpretation of the Torah as it applies to married life is stricter than that of his contemporaries, who accept the possibility of a relatively easy divorce (easy at least for the husband). Jesus calls his followers to a higher ideal, to understand marriage as an expression of the divine plan for humanity. Even the blessing of children suggests this higher standard, a wholehearted embrace of God’s plan.

Songs for the Liturgy

A Spendthrift Lover Is the Lord (1,G) WOR 597
Bwana Awabariki/May the Lord Bless You (1,G) LMGM 155/GC 587/RS 720
Come Away to the Skies (1) GC 440
Come, My Children (G) PSL B-176/SS
Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life (1,Ps,G) WOR 569/RS 717/GC 577/WC 830/JS 693
For the Beauty of the Earth (1,G) JS 642/WOR 557/WC 957/CBW 531/GP 704/MI‑BB/RS 697/GC 572/GC2 548/PMB 517/WS/SS
God, beyond All Names (1,G) JS 634/GC 491/MI‑BB/GP 667
God, in the Planning (1,G) GC 868/GC2 858/RS 944/SS
God Is Love (1,G) GC 629/GC2 608/JS 749/CBW 473/MI‑BB/RS 744/GP 647/SS
God, Whose Love Is Reigning O'er Us (1,G) JS 613
Holy Spirit, Lord of Love (1,G) CBW 417
*How Happy You Who Fear the Lord (1,Ps,G) PMB 336/WC 696
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light (G) WOR 510/GC 507/GC2 513/RS 651/PMB 404/WC 795/WS//MI-BB/SS
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You, v 4 (1,G) WOR 525/WC 918/GP 693/LMGM 197/MI‑BB/RS 669/GC 528/GC2 520/CBW 511/JS 617/PMB 497/WS/SS
*Let the Children Come to Me (G) PMB 411/WC 812/WS
Like a Child Rests (G) JS 734/MI‑BB/GP 635
Like a Seal on Your Heart (1,G) GP 466
*Lord, All Things Are Guided Still (E) IH 65
Lord of Our Growing Years (G) WOR 556
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (1,G) WOR 588/MI‑BB/GP 640/JS 746/RS 743/GC 622/GC2 613/CBW 625/PMB 431/WC 832/WS/SS
Love Is the Sunlight (1) RS 946/GC 866/GC2 855
Love One Another (G) GC 630/RS 745/GP 645/JS 752/WC 834/WS/MI-BB
Love Which Never Ends (1,G) JS 573/GP 465
Lover of Us All (1) GC 633/GP 643
Make Us One (1,G) PMB 392/WC 781/WS
May God Bless You (1,Ps,G) JS 566/RS 941/GC2 859/MI‑BB/GP 467
May Love Be Ours (Ps,G) GC 623/GC2 612/WOR 589/RS 748/JS 564/GP 637
May We Praise You (1,G) GP 678/GC 519
Not for Tongues of Heaven’s Angels (Ps,G) GC 623/GC2 612/WOR 589/RS 748/JS 564/GP 637/WC 692
O Perfect Love (1,G) WC 697
One Bread, One Body (1,G,C) GP 499/GC 830/GC2 813/MI‑BB/LMGM 139/JS 820/RS 915/WC 661/WS
Our Father, by Whose Name (G) WOR 570/RS 961
Praise to Our God, Creation’s Lord (G) SS
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (2) LMGM 162/GC 874/MI‑BB/RS 754/GC2 847/WC 854/GP 478/PMB 448/WS
Priestly People, v 2 (2) PMB 383/WC 761/WS
Seed, Scattered and Sown (C) RS 918/GC 834/GC2 830/JS 811/GP 516/MI-BB
Sing a New Church, vss 2‑3 (1,G) MI‑BB 407/GP 572/GC2 644
Stewards of Earth (1) PMB 509/WC 941/WS/CBW 634/SS
The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns (2) WOR 464/RS 591
This Is My Will (G) WOR 590
We Will Serve the Lord -- Haas (1,G) GC 869/GC2 652
What Wondrous Love Is This (2) WOR 600/WC 732/GP 642/JS 755/MI‑BB/RS 749/GC 627/GC2 614/PMB 253/WS/SS
When Love Is Found (G) WOR 745/GC 865/GC2 856/WC 694/RS 942/CBW 629/JS 568/PMB 337/WS 549/MI-BB/SS
Wondrous Is Your Name (1,Ps) CBW 632
*You Have Given Everything Its Place (E) PSL B-174/SS

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Choral Anthems

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