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Views from the Choir Loft

A Reminder

Fr. David Friel · September 21, 2011

Just the other day, I met my first niece for the first time. It was an awesome experience. Like most babies, my niece captivated the attention of the whole house. We sat around our living room, charmed by every sound, every little movement she made.

There was a word that was used a number of times as we sat there together. It’s a word that people don’t use much—a word that I seldom say. But we couldn’t help ourselves from saying, over and over again: “She’s precious. She’s just precious.”

How often have you said that about newborn babies in your own families? It’s the perfect word, isn’t it? We don’t use it much. In fact, we almost reserve it to describe the indescribable beauty of a newborn baby. Children are “precious” because they are a gift beyond price. No amount of money could ever buy so great a gift. Scripture is clear that God alone is the One “Who gives life to all things” (1 Tim 6:13). I have often held signs proclaiming, “Life Is Precious,” while praying the rosary out in the streets, but hearing that word over and over again the other night made me think.

It made me think that there’s really only one other context in which I ever use the word “precious.” Outside of describing newborn babies, the only regular usage of the word “precious” I can think of is to describe the Precious Blood of Christ. What an incredible truth that reveals!

There’s something ineffably marvelous about a baby—its life and vitality! And there’s something even more ineffably marvelous about Christ’s Blood, which was shed to make possible our life! As the First Letter of Saint Peter testifies: “It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from [your empty way of life] but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

We plead for unborn children and agonize over aborted children for this reason: because they were purchased at a price—the inestimable price of Christ’s Blood. The shedding of His Precious Blood for each one of us has made us, in turn, precious.

Seeing my niece was a stunning reminder for me of God’s tremendous love. She reminded me that every person ever born has shared in the image and likeness of God. She reminded me that every person ever born has been loved by God. She reminded me that every person ever born has been precious.

And the same is true of all the people who, sadly, were never born. May our reverence for the Precious Blood of Christ be an inspiration to the world for how to reverence one another!

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

    Vespers Booklet (4th Sunday of Lent)
    The organ accompaniment booklet (24 pages) which I created for the 4th Sunday of Lent (“Lætare Sunday”) may now be downloaded, for those who desire such a thing.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Vespers Booklet, 3rd Sunday of Lent
    The organ accompaniment I created for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (“Extraordinary Form”) may now be downloaded, if anyone is interested in this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Weeping For Joy! (We Hope!)
    Listening to this Easter Alleluia—an SATB arrangement I made twenty years ago based on the work of Monsignor Jules Van Nuffel—one of our readers left this comment: “I get tears in my eyes each time I sing to this hymn.” I hope this person is weeping for joy!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless.”

— Pope John Paul II (1979)

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