Challenges

This is a blog from Fr Fox at Bonfire of the Vanities on the fact that he sometimes (shhhh! don't tell the liturgonazis!) offers a private Mass, and the reasons for his practice.
How this resounds with me, and surely many, many musicians, particularly those who through circumstances or lack of backbone (red-facedly raising hand....) find themselves wincing through, or worse contributing to unworthy* offerings of praise:
And, honestly, a priest has both a right and a need to ensure that his own encounter with the Sacrifice of the Mass is fully prayerful, and there are times when as celebrant at a Mass for the people, this is very hard. This is something perhaps not many priests admit, and perhaps not many of God's people understand or realize: but it can be a challenge for a priest to offer Mass prayerfully.
Yes, it can be a challenge for us lay "ministers' to perform our tasks prayerfully, as well. There are some necessary distractions, of course, and dealing with them is part of the service we can render to God and His people.
It's the unnecessary ones that are so corrosive...
Fr Fox also speaks of celebrating ad orientem. A bishop of my acquaintance once opined (though not for public consumption,) that having him pray the Mass facing the assembly "does violence to the priest."
Does violence.
Strong words.
Something to ponder...

*Don't get all up in my face, as if I'm being elitist. (The opposite of which would be, what? "inferiorist?") "Unworthy" does not mean bad. It is possible for the offering to be not very good, even poor, yet worthy. "Bad" may be "good enough" if it is truly the best one can do. "Good" may be unworthy for an offering of praise if we could do better.