Sometimes, when people break into song in a sitcom, drama, or stage production, I'm inclined to follow comedian Neal Brennan's lead and say, "Just tell me."
While watching the Good Friday Mass on Catholic TV Network, I thought, "These extended portions of the Mass don't need to be sung, but why not sing them anyway?" While watching the Easter Sunday Mass, I thought, "The gospel is usually read instead of sung, but again, why not sing it? After all, these Masses are centered around the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which are central to this faith, so why shouldn't the celebrants sing about them? After all, if ever there are times when it's appropriate to ask the congregation to lean in and pay close attention, it's when recounting these momentous events."
That said, if you're relying on closed captioning, it might be wise to have a hymnal and missal handy when the captioning descends into linguistic and grammatical garble. During the Easter Sunday opening hymn, "The Strife Is O'er, The Battle Done," closed captioning turned the verse, "The powers of death have done their worst," into "Dust mite your spouse have done their work."
I'm not sure the accomplishments of dust mite spouses warrant breaking into song, but if you're so moved, that's your prerogative.
Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates it.
