The Word We Do Not Say ...

I was just listening to Bach's Cantata "Singet dem Herrn, ein neues Lied!" (Sing a new song unto the Lord - BWV 190).  It's filled with the joyous singing of the word "Hallelujah."  In the Catholic and Episcopal traditions, this bit of vocabulary is given a liturgical rest during Lent as a way of marking the somber nature of the season.  We generally avoid Hallelujah in our church, too, at this time for the same reason.  This doesn't meant that all signs of joy our mirth ought to be exiled from our lives at this moment.  But Lent is serious business and it deserves our attention.  If we're to truly experience the joy of Easter, we will need to be fully present during Holy Week.  And for that we need to prepare ourselves.  So let us lay off the Hallelujahs for now.  With the Resurrection we'll have time to say and sing them aplenty.

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