How we can receive more from the Mass - 3 (why we sing)

The Estonian people love their choral singing, at least as much as the Welsh do.  And, if you were to meet anyone from Estonia, they would tell you how they literally sang their way to independence through the ‘singing revolution’ of the 1980s.   This singing both expressed the unity of the people and, at the same time, helped to build up, to strengthen that unity.  And this unity of identity, as Estonians, kept them strong and resilient during the years of Soviet oppression.

This bears repeating: their singing both expressed the unity that they already shared, and it promoted and fortified that unity.

In some ways, this echoes our experience of Holy Mass.

At the beginning of the Mass, the bell is rung, we stand for the Entrance Procession…..and we sing!

The purpose of this Entrance Song (usually a hymn, though this is a relatively recent practice) “is to open the celebration, foster the unity of those who have been gathered, introduce their thoughts to the mystery of the liturgical time or festivity, and accompany the procession of the Priest and ministers.”  (GIRM 47)

What does this mean?  The Entrance Song formally marks the beginning of Holy Mass; it draws us all together as one body, one Assembly; it helps us to focus our hearts and minds on the celebration of the Mass; and, it accompanies the Entrance Procession – that’s why our singing ceases once the Procession has ended.

Possibly the greatest reform in the celebration of Holy Mass in the last 60 years is how the laity has rightfully been encouraged to be actively engaged with the Liturgy.  And we start by singing the Entrance Song with our hearts and minds fully engaged in the words that we are singing, as one body – the local Church of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.