What makes Lent feel different?
At Mass, the changes are subtle, but they're definitely noticeable. The colors of the vestments and altar cloths change from green to purple. There are fewer decorations. The music is a little different, too, somehow...maybe a bit quieter and more subdued. We bury the Alleluia until Easter, and we leave out the Gloria during Lent– it reappears briefly at the beginning of Triduum, on Holy Thursday, and then disappears again until Easter Vigil.
These changes are invitations to us - an opportunity to pray more deeply, to notice God's presence among us in a way that feels a little different than it does when all the stops are pulled out on the organ and we're singing our biggest, most celebratory hymns. There's a place for big extravagant music and lush flowers and rich, ornamented Mass settings. But during Lent, we are invited to go back to the basics: a simple melody that our voices sing together, a sense of quiet purpose in our music and in our prayer.
It's not just Mass that feels different. Our lives can feel different, too. As we look for opportunities for more prayer, to serve others with works of mercy, and to give up things that might get in the way of our relationship with God, maybe we need a different soundtrack for regular life, too - not just at church.
As we begin this Lent together, here's a playlist of songs to accompany us in our day-to-day living.