I had to acolyte at Eucharist today, and it was very good. Very brief homily, we sang, and Cathy and I had smooth sailing. One of the things that has always impressed me about people, from the time I was wee, was if they had hymns committed to memory. This could be people at Live Oak Baptist Church or Bishop Duncan singing "For All the Saints" at a funeral. I just find it fascinating, I think in part because memorization is not something I'm usually good at although over tiem I memorizes things from hearing or saying them over and over again.
Today one of the oblation bearers was a retired priest who is doing her STM. As the gifts approached the altar the organ finished it's verse run through and the offertory hymn started. It's below. She started singing just from memory. I hope that when I've been in The Episcopal Church to the point of retirement I have a good number of good, solid, theological texts committed to my memory
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee.
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee:
I crucified thee.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
for our atonement, while we nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.
For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.
Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.
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