Q: At my parish, it has been a tradition for them to break up the Passion narrative and have musical interludes between the parts. I have allowed this practice but others say that such practice is not allowed.
A: As far as I can tell, the custom was never formally allowed, but I do know of cases where it was practiced. I can even recall it happening in parishes where I served in the past. It helped people imagine the various scenes of the passion. It’s actually close to the way J. S. Bach presents his setting of the passion of St. Matthew, where congregational hymns break up the biblical text.
Anymore, I think it’s advisable to let the scriptures speak for themselves. Although musical interludes may aid in meditation, they tend to interrupt the flow and attempt to interpret the text, instead of letting the bible speak directly to each one’s heart.