“Father, read the black, do the red.” Today’s Lenten Lesson: The Collect “Father, read the black, do the red.” Yes, that’s what she said:  “Read the black. Do the red.” The red she referred to are the “rubrics” in the Roman Missal, or the reddish color of the ink for the directions on how to […]Read more

What’s the number one song ever? Today’s Lenten Lesson: The Gloria What’s the number one song ever? The number one song ever, according to me, is the Gloria, which the Church has been singing for two thousand years, and it was first performed by the Choir of Angels over Bethlehem the night Jesus was born.  […]Read more

It’s Greek for “Lord, have mercy.” Today’s Lenten Lesson: Kyrie Eleison Kyrie Eleison is Greek for “Lord, have mercy.” After we confess our sins at the start of Mass, we then beg God for mercy. The opening scene of the 1963 film “Lord of the Flies” shows British prep school boys in uniform marching in […]Read more

Remember how Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony begins? Today’s Lenten Lesson: Mea Culpa Do you remember how Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony begins? Beethoven’s Fifth begins with just four notes.  But he repeats it over and over, because anything worth doing is worth overdoing. The same thing happens in the Confiteor when we repeat just four syllables: mea culpa, […]Read more