Music, the Universal Connection

Moving to a new place is difficult. There are entirely new people, a new neighborhood, a huge, unfamiliar city to deal with. One of the things which keeps me (Mark) connected is music. The very first item I loaded into our car when we were packing for our trip up here was my keyboard, and one of the first connections I made upon arriving was with Sister Mary, who does the music for our weekly mass. Thea and I are only three weeks into our stay here in Philly, but already, I am a member of the St. Francis Inn's music group. Sister plays guitar and together we provide the music for mass. Last week, we sang "Servant Song" and the meditation was "Prayer of St. Francis" which I played as an instrumental. It was a great way for me to share my gift for music with our community. As I played the Alleluia for the Mass of Glory (the "Mark" Alleluia), I thought fondly of our wonderful Contemporary Choir at St. Al's and how much I miss playing with them. However, in a meaningful way, the fact that I am playing for the masses here connects me to those that I have (temporarily) left behind and to God in a very special way.