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Corpus Christi Watershed

“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

Jesus Returns

Fr. David Friel · April 7, 2013

MAGINE FOR A SECOND that you’re Jesus. A week and a half ago, you were brutally put to death. You spent last Saturday in a tomb, and then, last Sunday, you rose from the dead. Today, a full week later, you decide to make an appearance to your closest friends: Peter, James, John, Thomas, Philip, Bartholomew, and all the rest of the Apostles. They’re huddled in the Upper Room, and you walk in. What would you say to them? “What’s up?” “It’s nice to see you.” “Hey, guys, you left me hanging!”

What are Jesus’ actual first words to the Apostles in that Upper Room? “Peace be with you.” He even says it twice: “Peace be with you.” That was the perfect thing to say! Why?

We can only make sense of why that was such a perfect thing to say if we understand what Jesus means by “peace.” Sometimes, because of the news we hear, I think we get the idea that peace is related to world politics and military action and the balance of power. But, in its truest sense, peace has nothing to do with any of that. Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is not achieved by amassing nuclear weapons. Nor is peace achieved by ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Peace is not, in fact, primarily a state of conditions between nations or armies. Peace is a state of soul in individual persons.

Where does peace come from? It comes from the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. What do I mean? Were it not for our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, none of us would be able to sleep at night. Without His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, none of us would have any hope of eternal life. It is only by His triumph over the grave that there exists the possibility of our salvation. In His Resurrection is our peace! That’s the gift of peace, which Jesus imparts to His disciples.

Today, the Church universal observes Divine Mercy Sunday. What gives us peace in life is knowledge of God’s immense mercy. It is the mercy of God, for example, that we woke up this morning. It is the mercy of God that we are held in existence through every breath of our lives. And it is the ultimate demonstration of the mercy of God that He should sacrifice His only Son for us poor sinners.

Nowhere in life do we experience mercy more fully, more richly, more intimately than in the Sacrament of Penance. In the Gospel of John, chapter 20, Jesus breathes on the Apostles and says to them, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Granting the forgiveness of sins is one of the most awesome duties of the priest—one of the most humbling powers I possess. I daresay that the most beautiful words I have ever spoken are the words of absolution.

Meditate for a moment on the words the priest says as he forgives sinners in the confessional: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace.” When we go to confession and hear those words from the priest, it’s as if Jesus were appearing to us and saying, “Peace be with you.”

Without the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, we have no hope. With them, we have no fear.

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

“The spark of conversion can be struck by a single perfect liturgical gesture.”

— Cristina Campo (1966)

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