Una Voce Canada

By Mark Emerson Donnelly
Composer-in-Residence

Vídimus stellam ejus in Oríente, et vénimus cum munéribus adoráre Dóminum.

“We have seen a star in the East, and are come with gifts to adore the Lord.”
(Matthew 2:2; from the Mass of the Epiphany, January 6th)

So quotes Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene in Divine Intimacy, his guide to Carmelite spirituality. He continues:

[The Magi] saw the star and immediately set out. They had no doubts: their unbounded faith was strong and sure. They did not hesitate at the prospect of the trials of a long journey: they had generous hearts. They did not postpone the journey: their souls were ready.

A star often appears in the heaven of our souls; it is an inspiration from God, clear and intimate, urging us to greater generosity and calling us to a life of closer union with Him. Like the Magi, we too must always follow our star with faith, promptness and selfless generosity. If we allow it to guide us, it will certainly lead us to God; it will bring us to the One whom we are seeking.

The Magi did not give up their quest, although the star – at one point – disappeared from their sight. We should follow their example and their perseverance, even when we are in interior darkness. This is a trial of faith which is overcome only by the exercise of pure, naked faith. I know that He wills it, I know that God is calling, and this suffices for me: Scio cui credidi et certus sum; I know whom I have believed, and I am certain. (2 Tim 1:12) No matter what happens, I shall trust Him.

In this spirit, let us accompany the Magi to adore the new-born King. “And as they brought forth from among their treasures mystical gifts, let us from our hearts bring forth something fit to offer Him” (Roman Breviary).

***

It has been about thirteen months since Catherine and I made the decision to follow our star, namely, to make “composing music for the greater glory of God and the strengthening of souls” the focus of my musical life. However, as for many of you, this year has been a cloudy one, often concealing our star. Nonetheless, we follow the Magi’s example and persevere, “even when we are in interior darkness.”

Many of you persevered with us, providing spiritual and financial support. With that support, and the tireless dedication of filmmaker Nathan Douglas, we are now able to present the short documentary CANTUS FIRMUS – The Music of Mark Emerson Donnelly.

The documentary can also be viewed at my YouTube channel and new Rumble.com channel.

If you find CANTUS FIRMUS inspiring, and wish to support us as we continue our journey of creating new music which rests firmly on the foundation of Catholic tradition, we would be most grateful. Please consider making a donation:

• WonderWe – Mark Emerson Donnelly: Catholic Composer
• Una Voce Canada (select “MED Composer” from the dropdown menu; Revenue Canada tax receipt available)
• Send a cheque (payable to Una Voce Canada; Memo: MED Composer) to Una Voce Canada, P.O. Box 30027, North Vancouver, BC V7H 2Y8 (Revenue Canada tax receipt available)

By Mark Emerson Donnelly
Composer-in-Residence

The Abomination of Desolation

On the afternoon of Thursday,  November 19th, 2020, I was preparing for Offertorium’s evening rehearsal. Nothing extraordinary about this, except that I got a text at about 5 pm from one of the singers asking if anything had changed about rehearsal due to the announcement by British Columbia’s chief health officer about 30 minutes earlier. What was her announcement? All in-person public worship was cancelled, effective the next morning!

We were preparing for the Mass of the Last Sunday after Pentecost. In the Gospel for that day, Our Lord tells His disciples to watch for the “abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15).

What was this “abomination of desolation”? It was the order by King Antiochus IV in the second century BC, outlawing the Jewish temple sacrifice of the lamb to the one true God, and, likely, instituting in its place a sacrifice to pagan idols. But in this passage from the Gospel according to Matthew, Our Lord was telling His disciples to watch in their own time (the first century AD) for the abomination of desolation. This is most often interpreted as a reference to the destruction of the temple and all of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Roman general (later emperor) Titus. Was this a different abomination or the same?

Fast forward to today. The public attendance of THE sacrifice of the Lamb (at Holy Mass) is being outlawed in my home province. Is there a new Antiochus, a new Titus? I’ll leave that for you to ponder. However, as Matthew’s narrative continues, Jesus says: “He that readeth, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15).

St. Paul, in the first century, wrote: “Let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity and to good works: Not forsaking our assembly, as some are accustomed; but comforting one another, and so much the more as you see the [latter] day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25). This was at a time of extreme persecution of Christians. (Remember the Church was not given official sanction by the state until Constantine in the fourth century.) Yet, St. Paul encourages them to meet. Hmm …

Three weeks ago, it was warm and sunny at our home in White Rock, British Columbia, unusual for December. We were having some exterior home repairs done, and Mike the roofer was thankful for a pleasant day. Many of our neighbours were out for walks, with hardly a mask to be seen among them: young, old, mothers pushing baby strollers. Everything seemed normal. Not a new normal, just normal; the only normal there is.

It made me think of old war movies. Though the films were in black and white, the characters in them lived in colour! Whether or not you think the COVID-19 protocols are useful or necessary, most people (except the officials who flaunt their privilege) find them to be an arduous burden. But WE still LIVE in COLOUR. So even as we see that “upon the earth [there shall be] distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and the waves: men withering away for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world” (Luke 21:25-26), there is beauty all around us. As the title of the TV series and book by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen proclaimed, “Life is worth living!”

This takes me back to the Last Sunday after Pentecost and the abomination of desolation. This is pretty heavy stuff. If this abomination is an ongoing thing – the time of the prophet Daniel, of Our Lord, and even now – we can’t simply wither away in fear, expecting the end of the world! We must meditate on it, yes, so we are ready for the second coming of Christ, but we also have to consider (and give thanks for) the gifts that God has bestowed upon us.

Darkness and Light

If I may call upon my insight as a composer, I think, perhaps, that is the inspiration which moved William Byrd (1543-1623) to write his double motet “Ne irascaris, Domine” and “Civitas Sancti tui.” The text, from Isaias 64:9-10, reads:

Be not very angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see we are all thy people. The city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a desert, Jerusalem is desolate.

Pretty dark, eh? It is probably a text upon which Byrd meditated frequently; he was composing at a time when it was illegal to be a Catholic in England. In fact, it is believed that Byrd saw such biblical texts as particularly applicable to the  persecution of Catholics in his day. His collection of motets, Cantiones Sacrae, of which “Ne irascaris, Domine” and “Civitas Sancti tui” are a part, were very likely written as an ode to the suffering of his English Catholic community. Byrd himself was fined and jailed for attending Mass. Friends and colleagues were executed in the Tower of London.