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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

Putting Our Worst Foot Forward

Fr. David Friel · June 16, 2013

OU ARE A SINNER. So is the person closest to you at this moment. And so am I. We are all poor sinners.

I am intentionally putting these things bluntly, because it’s not our natural inclination to be open about our sinfulness, is it? When a little kid does something wrong, for instance, he or she will go to extraordinary lengths to cover it up. While we mature in some ways, and our tactics certainly advance, that impulse to exonerate ourselves always stays with us. We consistently try to “put our best foot forward,” so we downplay our sins and faults.

This isn’t the way it works with God, though. We don’t advance in the spiritual life by putting our best foot forward. We advance in the spiritual life by putting our worst foot forward. It’s seems counter-intuitive, but it’s true.

There are a handful of Biblical characters whom I really admire in this regard. First, there is King David, one of my great heroes. King David is an extraordinary man—a warrior-king of great courage and strength and wisdom, and yet a big-time sinner, too. In one passage (2 Samuel 12), the prophet Nathan accuses David of several major sins, including murder. David’s response is music to my ears. He doesn’t get defensive, but simply says: “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Isn’t it refreshing to hear someone straightforwardly admit to their faults? What a great accomplishment it would be for so many of us in the modern world if we could just admit, like King David, that we have, in fact, “sinned against the Lord.” We live in a world that wants to deny sin. We say that, “Mistakes were made,” when what we really mean is, “I sinned.” We offer all kinds of excuses, but we avoid taking responsibility for our actions. King David’s confession is a great model for us.

So, too, is the sinful woman in the Gospel, who bathes Jesus’ feet in her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them, and anoints them with oil. What she does is far from culturally acceptable, since this is in the context of a formal dinner. And yet she does it anyway, because she knows the enormity of her sin.

Pope Francis recently said something about this in a daily Mass homily. He said last month: “The problem is not that we are sinners: the problem is not repenting of sin, not being ashamed of what we have done” (Pope Francis, 5/17/13). We should be ashamed of our sins. A healthy dose of shame can lead us to true sorrow, and only when we’re truly sorry can we ever be forgiven.

All the great saints agree that true growth in the spiritual life always begins with a profound sense of our own sinfulness. God can forgive us, but we first need to recognize our faults. So, as we kneel before the altar at Mass, as we kneel before the Lord in the confessional, as we kneel beside our beds in prayer, let’s do so in humility. Recognizing our faults, and longing for God’s grace, let’s put our worst foot forward.

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

“In older times we referred to humans as the human race, but according to this foundation we are being classed with the animals on the farm, the cow, the horse, the mule […] According to this foundation, I have no right to be born, for I am the youngest of 16 children, and God bless my mother for every one of them!”

— Archbishop Schrembs (d. 1945) vs. a foundation promoting artificial contraception

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