Tag: Christmas

  • The balm to cruelty

    They say that faith without action is dead. I think that’s correct, but not because I remembered it myself. It was one of my kids who (re-)taught me the lesson. In a world — alas, a nation — that has lost itself to permissible cruelty, the balm is spreading peace and joy to the corners…

  • Bernstein’s Mass

    For my church choir’s annual Christmas concert two weeks ago, one of the solos was a piece from Bernstein’s Mass, titled “Hymn and Psalm: A Simple Song.”  It’s a very modern sounding song, not at all like traditional requiem masses.  At times, it was very dissonant and haunting, other times similar to big band Broadway. …