We’ve found 3 pieces from around the web that are worth a read:
The Sung Liturgy in the Formation of the Human Person – Guest Article by Matthew Roth (Newliturgicalmovement.org)
Matthew Roth, a recent graduate of Franciscan University, gives us an in depth look at liturgical music and it’s function in the mass:
Having grown up alongside the Roman Rite, chant is intrinsic to the ritual, not something that is truly optional, even though one may read the Mass texts or choose alternative music, whether it be polyphony, a hymn, or some other style of music. (In fact, with the first of these, one always refers back to the chant repertoire in composition and performance.) It gives expression to the text, as can be seen from a theoretical analysis of the melody, and it is always appropriate for the moment in the ritual. The Introit is perfectly suited for the entrance or the prayers at the foot of the altar, depending on whether the Mass is in the usus recentior or usus antiquior and whether it is a Sunday Mass or not. Singing a congregational hymn in four parts with a descant might be lovely, but it can distract from the ritual, nor is it the historical tradition of the Roman Rite. Another example is the Gregorian Alleluia with its long and intricate melodies which draw the worshiper into contemplation, and the complexity contrasts with the simplicity of the sung Gospel.
Pope Francis, world leader of the modern anti-slavery movement (Cruxnow.com)
Today is worldwide anti-human trafficking day and Pope Francis is being acknowledged for his advocacy against such practices and spreading awareness of this problem in the world:
While many are tempted to think of slavery as a relic of the past, or at least limited to remote areas of the globe, the tragic reality is that it’s never been more widespread as it is today, and it reaches right into the heart of our wealthy nations. According to the International Labour Organization, a stupendous 21 million people are victims of forced labor globally. Some estimates put that number even higher. In recent years governments and policy makers across world have started to cooperate to put an end to this stain on our age. A major player in this initiative is the Catholic Church, and the anti-slavery movement has no greater champion than Pope Francis, who comes at this with a long history. In Buenos Aires he invested huge time in assisting trafficked prostitutes and seamstresses and confronting the mafia bosses who profit from their suffering.
‘There isn’t really anything magical about it’: Why more millennials are avoiding sex (Washingtonpost.com)
Interviews with several millennials about their views on sex as well as studies that show millennials are having fewer sexual partners in their 20’s than the last two generations: It’s not a very sexy time to be young, despite millennials’ reputation as bed-hoppers frolicking like the characters on “Girls.” A study published Tuesday in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior finds that younger millennials — born in the 1990s — are more than twice as likely to be sexually inactive in their early 20s as the previous generation was and are more likely even than older millennials were at the same age.
Recent research also shows that overall, millennials — people born between the early 1980s and 2000 — have fewer sexual partners than the baby boomers and those in Generation X, the cohort that immediately preceded millennials.
[…]
Noah Patterson, 18, likes to sit in front of several screens simultaneously: a work project, a YouTube clip, a video game. To shut it all down for a date or even a one-night stand seems like a waste. “For an average date, you’re going to spend at least two hours, and in that two hours I won’t be doing something I enjoy,” he said.
It’s not that he doesn’t like women. “I enjoy their companionship, but it’s not a significant part of life,” said Patterson, a web designer in Bellingham, Wash.
[Editor’s Note: Read more – When No One Wants To Raise The Parents]
