Today is the Sunday before Lent. As we prepare in that season to celebrate Easter, we don't use the Easter word 'Alleluia', so this was the last Sunday we'll be singing it for a while. In some churches they 'bury' the word 'Alleluia' on Tuesday!
In the old hymn books there was a hymn that captured the spirit of this Sunday well:
Alleluia, song of sweetness,
voice of joy that cannot die;
alleluia is the anthem
ever raised by choirs on high;
in the house of God abiding
thus they sing eternally.
Alleluia thou resoundest,
true Jerusalem and free;
alleluia, joyful mother,
all thy children sing with thee;
but by Babylon's sad waters
mourning exiles now are we.
Alleluia cannot always
be our song while here below;
alleluia our transgressions
make us for awhile forgo;
fort the solemn time is coming
when our tears for sin must flow.
Therefore in our hymns we pray thee,
grant us, blessed Trinity,
at the last to keep thine Easter,
in our home beyond the sky,
there to thee for ever singing
alleluia joyfully.
Lent begins on Wednesday. How will you be observing it? There are some suggestions here.
And what better way to begin Lent than by coming to Mass and receiving ashes? There is a said Mass at St John's at 11am and a sung Mass at St Matthias at 7:30pm.
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