Pope sings praises of choirs, affirms importance of their ministry

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Church choirs help everyone at Mass experience harmony while expressing love for God through the beauty of music, Pope Leo XIV said.

Celebrating the Jubilee of Choirs on the Nov. 23 feast of Christ the King, the pope said Christ’s “power is love, his throne the Cross, and through the Cross his Kingdom shines forth upon the world.”

The feast day also is when dioceses around the world celebrate World Youth Day, which featured in the Mass prayers and in the pope’s remarks at the end of the liturgy.

During the Mass, the congregation prayed for young people, that “by following Christ, our Lord and King,” they would “set the world on fire through their ardor and creativity, so that they may bear witness to the humble strength of the Gospel.”

Pope Leo said he wanted to greet and “spiritually embrace” all the young people celebrating in their dioceses. “On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person would discover the beauty of joy of following him, the Lord, and would dedicate themselves to his kingdom of love, justice and peace.”

In his homily at Mass, he said that love must inspire the choirs.

“Being part of a choir means advancing together,” he said, “taking our brothers and sisters by the hand and helping them to walk with us.”

“It means singing the praises of God together, consoling our brothers and sisters in their suffering, exhorting them when they seem to give in to fatigue and encouraging them when difficulties seem to prevail,” the pope said.

A parish choir is a bit like the church itself, he said. It strives to walk through history singing God’s praise.

“Even if at times this journey is full of difficulties and trials, and moments of joy alternate with more tiring ones,” the pope said, “singing lightens the journey and brings relief and consolation.”

Pope Leo, who intones prayers and sings hymns with gusto, said music helps people “express what we carry deep in our hearts and what words cannot always convey.”

“Music can give expression to the whole range of feelings and emotions that arise within us,” he said. “Singing, in particular, constitutes a natural and refined expression of the human being: mind, feelings, body and soul come together to communicate the great events of life.”

The liturgical service of a choir at Mass “is a true ministry that requires preparation, commitment, mutual understanding and, above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when you sing, you both pray and help everyone else to pray,” the pope said.

While a choir is a “small family of individuals united by their love of music and the service they offer,” he said, they must remember that at Mass the entire community is part of the family.

“You are not on stage, but rather a part of that community, endeavoring to help it grow in unity by inspiring and engaging its members,” the pope told them. “Dedicate yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing.”

And the pope urged choir members to strive to make sure their own spiritual lives are “always worthy of the service you perform, so that your ministry may authentically express the grace of the liturgy.”

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