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Views from the Choir Loft

Fear & Trembling

Fr. David Friel · October 26, 2011

I very happily teach sixth grade CCD at my parish. My approach to the (somewhat absurd) task of covering 3500 years of Old Testament history in a single semester is to highlight one major story and one major character each week. This past week, we studied the Sacrifice of Isaac and the character of Abraham.

We read the story together from the Bible (Gen 22:1-19). As usual, I wondered if they were struggling with comprehension as we went along. All such doubt was removed, however, when we reached verse 10: “Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.” They gasped. They got it. My students had understood quite well the horror of the scene.

The dreadfulness of Abraham’s plight was a source of fascination for the existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). Kierkegaard’s work, Fear and Trembling, is an attempt to comprehend the anxiety that must have gripped our “Father in Faith.” A man—who had waited many decades to become a father—is asked to take his beloved son and slaughter him in sacrifice. This is the ultimate test of faith, a super-dramatic experiment with one man’s free will.

We went on in class to finish the story. We tried to understand it. We tried to step into Abraham’s shoes. They asked me what I would do in that situation. The point of the story, we agreed, was never to accomplish Isaac’s death; it was always to test Abraham’s faith. As his descendants in salvation history, we should certainly be grateful that he passed the test.

In the end, we must concede that what Abraham was willing to do on Mount Moriah was extraordinary. But what God the Father actually did on Mount Calvary is infinitely greater.

“He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all” (Rom 8:32).

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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Quick Thoughts

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

Indeed I might add that although unfamiliar with it myself, the Extraordinary Form expressly reminds us that Mass in either form is not merely a communion meal but a ritual of love, a sacrifice at Calvary, by which, for you and for me, yes, here and now, Jesus Christ lays down his life.

— ‘Most Rev. Philip Egan, Bishop of Portsmouth’

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