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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

Reflection on the Blessing of the Ashes

Guest Author · March 4, 2014

0319_JXXIII_blue Soon to be saint, Pope John XXIII, always carried on his person a picture of his tomb. HERE IS A VERY inspiring chant, used in the blessing of ashes which says: Let us amend for the better in those things in which we have sinned through ignorance: lest suddenly overtaken by the day of death we seek time for repentance, and are not able to find it.

Several ideas are presented. The first is that we should try to improve and do better. A bit of reflection will help us to see what needs improvement. I suspect that all of us could spend more time in prayer. Especially if we are older and retired, we have so much more time. Do we just want to waste it on watching television? And this can apply also to young people. I like to define or call prayer as time we are willing to spend with God. When we love someone, we want to spend time with them. If we really love God, then we will want to spend time with Him. And when it comes to what we should do for lent, you will almost always first hear, ‘prayer and fasting.’ Do something very definite this lent to increase and improve your prayer, the time you are willing to spend with God. At the moment of your death you will be glad that you did.

I find the words ‘sinned through ignorance’ very consoling. I’m not saying this to excuse myself or anyone, but I do believe that many of the sins we commit, and many of the good things we failed to do are done more out of ignorance than out of malice. Yes, it is so much easier to spend fifteen minutes watching TV than to say the Rosary, but think of the difference that the pay-off is going to have. And then that urge to spread that latest piece of gossip! But is it worth spending time in purgatory for?

The last part of this chant gets a bit more dramatic when it says: ‘we may seek a time for repentance, and are not able to find it’. Yes, it may be too late. We do know that we should be prepared at all times. Everyone should live each lent, each day, as if it may be their last. If we have real and genuine love of God, the end of life should not be a frightening thought. St. John the Apostle says that love casts out all fear. If we improve our love of God by spending more time with Him in prayer, then we will probably have less reason to fear Him. We will look forward to meeting Him face to face. Make this the best lent of your life!


We hope you enjoyed this reflection by Fr. Valentine Young, OFM.

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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President’s Corner

    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
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“For any member of laity, who is at least somewhat literate, the ignorance of the Latin tongue, which we can call a truly Catholic language, indicates a certain lack of affection towards the Church.”

— Pope Pius IX

Recent Posts

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