It's officially the Easter season in the liturgical year! During this feasting season, the Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven) replaces the Angelus prayers at 6am, noon, and 6pm. Additionally, it is prayed after Night Prayer, or Compline, in the Liturgy of the Hours. The text dates back to at least the 1200s, where the earliest known appearance occurs in an antiphonary from this time.

Regardless of who or what, why or when, experiencing disappointment is part of the human experience. More often than not, the disappointments we experience are minor: the kind we can easily overcome with a hug, time in prayer, or a good night's sleep. But at other times the disappointment is crushing. What then? What do we do when a good night's sleep doesn't erase the disappointment, or when the setbacks last for months?

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the core practices of Lent; and while it can be easy to place the focus on fasting because of meatless Fridays and the practice of giving up something for Lent, prayer and almsgiving are equally important. Reading Sacred Scripture regularly, praying the rosary, or adding in extra prayer time in the morning are all wonderful (and popular) ways to incorporate more prayer into Lent, but today I want to talk about incorporating a special set of psalms known as the Penitential Psalms.

It can be remarkably difficult to spend time practicing without falling into harsh criticism of all the perceived ways you aren't doing your craft well. During my six years in music school + the four years I spent in my high school's music program, I saw how my peers suffered from being extremely hard on themselves. I myself struggled for years with negative self-criticism during my practice sessions, and it wasn't until I grew deeper in my relationship with Christ that I was able to generally overcome this struggle.

Christmas music is a category unto itself entirely, but how did it get started? Was music always important in the celebration of Christmas? I did some investigating, and here’s what I found.

Depending on who you are, the concept of silence may hold a different taste in your mouth. For some of you, a sense of relief might accompany this word. Finally, silence! I (and, I suspect, many other music educators) fall into this category. For others, this word might bring to mind artistic connotations: silence, when well timed within a piece of music, can be more powerful than the notes themselves. Still yet for others, silence may be paired with a sense of discomfort. It can be remarkably uncomfortable to sit in silence, even when alone.

Whether you write, perform, or teach music, the music you pass on to others matters. Music can be a powerful vehicle to bring God's beauty and healing love to others, and you have the immense honor and privilege of being His instrument.

Here on the blog, you’ll find weekly reflections about a variety of topics, written by our team and by guest writers. For our very first blog post, I wanted to share more about why my co-founder, Tara McDermott, and I felt called to found The Hildegard Collective.