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Corpus Christi Watershed

Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Resurrected Christ

Fr. David Friel · April 24, 2012

I’ve been annoyed all this week. You know why? Because I haven’t been able to watch the Phillies. You know why? Because they’ve been on the West coast since Monday, and the games have all started at 10:15 at night. I’m what you would call a diehard Phillies fan, but there’s no way I am going stay up to watch a baseball game that begins at 10:15 PM. It just ain’t happening.

I can tell you, though, that they’ve won 3 games and lost 4 games since Monday. How do I know their dismal week’s record? I wasn’t there, and I didn’t see it on TV or hear it on the radio. So, how do I know how the games turned out? Simple: I read about it in the paper.

Why do I mention all this? The Gospels from the last two Sundays recount very similar occasions of the resurrected Lord appearing to the disciples. I think sometimes when we hear these stories, we get jealous. After all, the risen Christ really appeared to the disciples; He showed them the wounds in His hands and His feet; He even ate a meal with them. How come those disciples got to have that experience, but we can’t? Wouldn’t it be so much easier to believe if the risen Christ appeared to us?

I’m not so sure. Think about this: if I can believe that the Phillies won 3 of their games last week because I read about it in The Inquirer, is it really that unreasonable to believe what the Gospels tell us about the Life of Christ? Sure, you can’t believe everything you read, but it’s reasonable to trust the sports section, because a reporter was actually there, watching the game, so that he could tell all of us back home on the East coast what happened.

It’s far more reasonable to trust the Sacred Scriptures, which aren’t simply the work of a staff reporter. The Bible is inspired by God and written by actual eyewitnesses who lived with Jesus and saw Him and touched Him and broke bread with Him. St. Peter said it, himself, in the Acts of the Apostles: “The Author of Life you put to death, but God raised Him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.”

Think of another example: I’ve never been to Utah, but I believe that it exists. That’s a reasonable thing to believe. No one would call me crazy for believing in Utah, even though I’ve never been there. In much the same way, having faith in Jesus and in His Resurrection is reasonable. We have it on good authority.

The modern, empiricist idea that we need to have physical evidence presented to us before we can ever believe something (aka, the “verification principle”) is ridiculous. If we used that standard for everything in life, I would have no reason to believe that Utah exists. So, why do we sometimes try to apply that standard to faith? We live in a time that exalts scientific proof and disparages religious faith. There should, however, be a great harmony between the two, since both science and faith are reasonable. We advocate for Fides ET ratio.

The Resurrection accounts should never make us jealous. We don’t need to have been there—in the Upper Room or at the tomb—in order to encounter and believe in the risen Christ. The Scriptures are worthy of our trust, and faith is a virtue that could stand to be strengthened in all of us.

Through the testimony of the Scriptures and the gift of faith, we, too—like Peter and the Apostles—are witnesses of the Resurrection!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“It introduces us to a still and serious world, deserted and rigid, without colour, without light, without motion; it does not gladden, does not distract; yet we cannot break away from it.”

— ‘Schweitzer on the THEME from Bach’s “Art of Fugue”’

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