tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post4406960512361021458..comments2024-03-28T20:30:10.681-04:00Comments on southern orders: LET A CARTOON TEACH YOU ABOUT THE NATURE OF SACRED MUSIC FOR THE CATHOLIC MASS AND OTHER LITURGIES AND DEVOTIONS!Fr. Allan J. McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16986575955114152639noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-42852074099836689882010-10-13T20:57:28.458-04:002010-10-13T20:57:28.458-04:00I watched the video again and had a question about...I watched the video again and had a question about something the female robot said. Did she mean that only certain instruments and tunes are acceptable? Or did she mean only that the lyrics must be doctrinally correct and the tunes and playing somehow appropriate, and can that be determined objectively?<br /><br />rcgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-42863684727727656902010-10-13T08:24:24.758-04:002010-10-13T08:24:24.758-04:00For clarification, RCG's reference to my "...For clarification, RCG's reference to my "Day-ous Primus doctrine" has to do with my belief that Doris Day was the most beautiful and talented of all the screen gems of her time and long after, even to the present. She is a certain affirmation of God's love for us and the perfection of the Creation.<br /><br />As to "Que Sera, Que Sera," that is, at best, dangerously Calvinistic in its implications. At its worst, it is Stoicism.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-74019985729852453772010-10-11T22:47:57.581-04:002010-10-11T22:47:57.581-04:00Considering the Trent edict I suppose "Que Se...Considering the Trent edict I suppose "Que Sera, Sera" is more appropriate than "Blessed Assurance". A thought Pinan will likely endorse in his 'Day-ous primus' doctrine. <br /><br />Seriously, I think there is such a body of writing and music there should be no problem removing the objectionable and distracted in favour of the correct. Meanwhile, it should not be difficult to teach the sentimentality of happy songs to beloved tunes can still be enjoyed as long as it is understood they are in error. <br /><br />Also, I am not clear on why singing in first person the words of God is different than reading them aloud as long as they are in context and not construed as evidence of 'Blessed Assurance".<br /><br />rcgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-8164735068205174362010-10-11T22:19:33.540-04:002010-10-11T22:19:33.540-04:00Yeah, put the original words back!Yeah, put the original words back!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-57636554287632458232010-10-11T16:44:21.211-04:002010-10-11T16:44:21.211-04:00And put the original words back in "A Mighty ...And put the original words back in "A Mighty Fortress..."Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-36744711642508679702010-10-11T09:55:07.382-04:002010-10-11T09:55:07.382-04:00First, let me say that I think the music at St. Jo...First, let me say that I think the music at St. Joseph's is beautiful, overall, and glorifies God. It seems that in the time I have been attending St. Joseph's, we have moved away from some of the really bad touchy- feely stuff, although it still pops up quite a bit during communion. I understand, too, that it is not a good idea to change everything all at once, with respect to the congregation. I would like to suggest, though, that we stretch ourselves a bit and attempt to sing a greater variety of hymns. "Lasst uns erfreuen" is a beautiful hymn tune, and has several texts applied to it in our hymnal, but we seem to sing it over and over, as we did this Sunday in the form of "All Creatures of Our God and King." It will be a nice change of pace to sing "Ein Feste Burg" (A Mighty Fortress), which is based on Psalm 46. A good choice not to sing it on Reformation Sunday, though.<br /><br />An alternative for some of the not so great communion hymns could be "Picardy" (Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence), a beautiful old French tune whose text predates the Reformation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-47607894552802637322010-10-11T08:54:21.989-04:002010-10-11T08:54:21.989-04:00Catholic authors, even the worst, can't come c...Catholic authors, even the worst, can't come close to the abominations in the various protestant hymnals, such as Fanny Crosby's touching line: "My spirit pants for thee." Indeed. <br /><br />Then, in some of the sing-songy metrical hymns (generally gospels), there appear intuitively powerful and theologically correct devotional moments, as in (from "Lily of the Valley"):"He all my sins has taken, and all my sorrows borne/ in temptation he's my strong and mighty tower./ I have all for Him forsaken and all my idols torn/ from my heart and now He keeps me by His power." <br /><br />Good hymnmology/theology is able to combine these intuitively powerful moments with proper Christology, thus keeping them from degenerating into the merely sentimental or just plain disgusting.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-8947222478655877002010-10-10T16:29:00.254-04:002010-10-10T16:29:00.254-04:00You may not want to post this.
I heard "Eagl...You may not want to post this. <br />I heard "Eagles Wings" during Holy Communion today.<br />If I ever heard it before, it was years ago, so long ago that it was essentially new to me.<br />Now I understand why it doesn't belong in the context of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass;<br />and I understand why folks like it.<br />It's doubtful that your choir director is the one who selected it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-55897111255794524042010-10-10T09:23:21.175-04:002010-10-10T09:23:21.175-04:00I should clarify that "Be Not Afraid" an...I should clarify that "Be Not Afraid" and "Eagle's Wings" are written by Catholic authors and are contemporary. The problem is with the congregation singing in the first Person for God in both of these. The same is true for "I Will Raise you up!" The musical quality of the first two are happy, peppy type of lyrics like "The Addams' Family" but not of the genre that evolves from chant which is foundational to Catholic sacred music.Fr. Allan J. McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16986575955114152639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-48927200032762236472010-10-10T09:15:10.833-04:002010-10-10T09:15:10.833-04:00It's very enlightening to relook at the lyrics...It's very enlightening to relook at the lyrics in the hymns.<br />Learning why a particular hymn is inappropriate is an easy and helpful way to learn fine points about Catholic doctrine and how others deviated.<br /><br />Thanks pin for the Luther lesson.<br />I'll have to go back and study 'Be Not Afraid'...it has been a pal to me, but I'll drop it if it's non-Catholic and find a replacement.<br /><br />Not everything or everyone is as they seem after closer inspection.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-50425946762192968002010-10-10T07:11:49.266-04:002010-10-10T07:11:49.266-04:00Thanks for the comments on Luther. In fact Pope Be...Thanks for the comments on Luther. In fact Pope Benedict is somewhat enamored with his theology on certain issues. I like the hymn, but for many Catholics is sounds like we've become Protestant. In fact our choir director looking at the readings for the last Sunday in October was going to select A Mighty Fortress is our God until she realized that the last Sunday of October is also Reformation Sunday. So she's postponed using it until the following Sunday I think. But your comments are very good indeed.Fr. Allan J. McDonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16986575955114152639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7846189835239594160.post-28076158538911923272010-10-10T07:06:38.188-04:002010-10-10T07:06:38.188-04:00Thew words to "A Mighty Fortress" have b...Thew words to "A Mighty Fortress" have been changed in the Catholic hymnal. I never undertsood why, unless it was just because Luther wrote it. It is, theologically, one of the great hymns of the faith. I suppose the last verse could be interpreted as contra- Rome, but that seems like a stretch: "That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth. The spirit and the gifts are ours, through Him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill, God's Truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever."<br /><br />But, there are such powerful lines:<br />"...the Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for, lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fell him (ein wortlein willst im fehlen)." It is a hymn with real guts.<br /><br />Luther never considered himself anything other than a Priest who got in trouble with the Church. He never called himself "protestant," never rejected the Church, and never, as far as I can determine (I wrote a thesis on Luther) used the term "sola scriptura." He was devoted to the Virgin and, in a letter to Melancthon in the 1520's<br />he countered Melancthon's railing against the Real Presence by writing, "no, Phillip. Christ said 'this is my body.' Luther never abnandoned his belief in, or teaching of, the Real Presence. Catholics need to be aware of this. He merely did some theological "logic chopping" with reference to how the Real Presence is conveyed, which is unfortunate. Indeed, Luther's errors seem minor compared to some of today's Priests and Bishops who support abortion and homosexuality, and who teach what amounts to neo-protestant theology in seminaries. In fact, Luther stacks up pretty well against the likes of Hans Kung, Schillebeex, and a few others.<br /><br />It was John Calvin, 25 years later, who did irreparable damage to the theological and doctrinal connection between the Church and Luther with his tightly constructed, carefully argued, and logically consistent (if in error)polemic against the Catholic Church and the Real Presence in his "Institutes of the Christian Religion." His TULIP (Total depravity; Unconditional salvation; Limited atonement; Irresistable grace; Perseverance of the saints) theology drove an iron wedge between Catholicism and protestantism which, only now, is beginning to loosen. I attribute this almost exclusively to the ministries of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict who have, through the love and compassion of John Paul and the powerful and unyielding theological voice of Benedict, opened the eyes of many protestants to the Truth and Grace dwelling in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apsotolic Church.Genehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06672484450736725268noreply@blogger.com