28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, 2009)

Entrance	Christ is made the sure foundation
Kyrie	Mass of the Creator Spirit (Ed Nowak)
Gloria	Mass of the Creator Spirit
Psalm	Ps 89 (Stephen Dean/James Walsh)
Gospel Acclamation	Alleluia Mode 2 (Plainchant)
Preparation of the Gifts	Wisdom, Come Softly (Martin Barry/Diane Murden)
Sanctus, Acclamation, Amen	Eucharistic Acclamations (Bernadette Farrell)
Agnus Dei	Mass of the Creator Spirit
Communion	Restless is the heart (Bernadette Farrell)
Postcommunion	O Quam Suavis (William Byrd)
Recessional	All my hope on God is founded

Today’s Communion antiphon The rich suffer want and go hungry, but nothing shall be lacking to those who fear the Lord mirrors the Gospel reading from Mark concerning rich men, camels and needles. We had Byrd’s O Quam Suavis from Book II of the Gradualia of 1607, which includes the line fastidiosos divites dimittens inanes (“sending the haughty rich away empty”). It’s a revolutionary text, like the Magnificat, but here clothed in the most graceful and irenic disguise.

The first reading (Wis 7:7-11), placing wisdom above riches, was the main scriptural source for Diane Murden’s and my Wisdom Come Softly. It was conceived as a piece for Pentecost, with the last verse based on the prayer Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, but it seemed just as appropriate to sing it today. We used to do it as a choir piece, but we’ve sung it enough times in the last eight years for our our assembly to sing it confidently, and we did it that way today.

There was more wisdom in today’s responsorial psalm, Ps 89(90): Make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. This and other verses from the same psalm are also set in Bernadette Farrell’s Restless is the heart. With the refrain echoing St Augustine (from the Confessions), it’s a good addition to our repertoire of Communion processional songs.