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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 and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    PDF • “For General Use Until Advent”
    If you conduct a volunteer choir, you might consider using this Simple Piece #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) which can be used during the rest of the liturgical season until Advent. It's based on the well known hymn tune: OLD HUNDREDTH. Rehearsal videos are available at #40691. A live recording of #40273 (“Adésto Sáncta Trínitas”) by a volunteer choir is here (#40065).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Introit • (This Coming Sunday)
    Our volunteer choir appreciates training videos, so here's my attempt at recording “Exáudi Dómine Vocem Meam,” which is the INTROIT for this coming Sunday. This coming Sunday is Dominica Post Ascensionem (“Sunday after the feast of the Ascension”). It is sung according to the official rhythm of the Catholic Church.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Volunteer Choir Attempts “Kýrie Eléison”
    My volunteer choir attempted the polyphonic KYRIE that will be sung at this year's Sacred Music Symposium. If you're interested, you can listen to the live recording from last Sunday. The piece is based on the ancient plainchant hymn melody: Ave Maris Stella. Polyphony like this is truly intricate and wonderful. It reminds me of the quote by Artur Schnabel: “music that's greater than it can be performed.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Both of these appointments—of Cardinal Lercaro and Father Bugnini—to key positions on the Consilium made it possible for voices to be heard that could not be heard during the proceedings of the Council, and likewise silenced others.”

— Alfons Cardinal Stickler, Vatican II ‘peritus’

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