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Views from the Choir Loft

Masculine Spirituality

Fr. David Friel · August 29, 2011

Today (29 August 2011) has been the memorial of the Beheading of John the Baptist—one of the more colorful feasts on the Church calendar. Beyond the blood and guts, it has something deep to teach us, I believe, about masculine spirituality.

The Gospel passage that recounts this story (c.f., Mark 6:17-29) strikes me as having three main characters. The first is John the Baptist; the second is Herod the Tetrarch; and the third, though unmentioned, is Jesus the Christ.

John has a decision to make. Which side should he take? He could take the side of King Herod, the earthly king who wants his unlawful marriage to his brother’s wife to be sanctioned. Or he could take the side of the Eternal King, Who gave us the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

How strikingly similar the Baptizer’s situation was to the situation of Sir Thomas More, fifteen centuries later. Thomas could have sided with King Henry VIII, who wanted his divorce and remarriage to be approved by the Pope. Or he could remain faithful to the Lord and to His Church by upholding the sanctity and permanence of marriage.

Both St. John the Baptist and St. Thomas More had the same decision to make. They both made the same decision. They were both imprisoned for it. And they both were beheaded as a consequence.

On the scaffold, Thomas More declared: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” We need to look no further for the model of authentically masculine spirituality.

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 served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The Council of Trent taught: “In this divine sacrifice which takes place at Mass, the same Christ is present and is immolated in an unbloody manner, Who once on the Cross offered Himself in a bloody manner. For the victim is one and the same, now offering through the ministry of priests, Who then offered Himself on the Cross; only the manner of offering is different” (Session XXII, cap. 2, Denzinger, n. 940).

— Pope Pius XII (2 November 1954)

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