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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Vision of the Apocalypse

Fr. David Friel · November 26, 2012

HAT IS HEAVEN LIKE? Of course, no one knows specifically. There are many people, however, who have attempted to describe what it might be like. From Augustine’s City of God to Dante’s Paradiso to Mitch Album’s Five People You Meet in Heaven, there are plenty of portrayals of what might lie hereafter. One notable portrait of heaven comes from John, the Beloved Disciple, who put his vision to parchment in the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse.

He paints his portrait mainly with sounds. The scene includes the Lamb standing atop Mount Zion before the 144,000 elect. The author speaks of “the sound of rushing water,” then adds “a loud peal of thunder”; thereafter, he hears the sound “of harpists playing their harps”; finally, he reports that the multitude of saints “were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne.”

The idea that heaven is filled with sound—even music—is intriguing. Having sung in choirs for many years, I have come to appreciate choral singing, as well as chant, as a premonition of the Kingdom. To sing well in a choir, one must listen to the other voices. This listening leads one to recognize and value the other voice. Only then is the chorister able to contribute his or her own voice to complement the others’ voices. No one, after all, can sing in harmony with oneself.

This strikes me very much like what heaven should be. In heaven, there will be no discord, no backbiting, no jealousy. In the words of John, “On their lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished” (Revelation 14:5). According to the Christian vision of earthly life, heavenly life must consist in the perfect giving-and-taking, acceptance-and-bestowal of saintly relationships. There, love of God and love of neighbor will be perfected and overflow with song. It is so magnificently appropriate for the lover to sing for the beloved.

So, what is heaven like? No one knows precisely. But I would not be surprised if it is, in fact, a place filled with music. At the very least, it must be a place of perfect harmony.

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

    “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
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —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

“We wish to express the hope that students of Gregorian Chant come back to the pure Vatican Edition, in the ancient block-note form, without the addition of any signs whatever, in order to achieve Gregorian unity.”

— Josef Gogniat (12 March 1938)

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