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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Free From All Anxiety

Fr. David Friel · January 31, 2012

“I should like you to be free of anxieties.” Those were the first words of St. Paul in the second reading this past Sunday. Paul wasn’t crazy, though. He lived in the real world, and he knew that normal people have lots of anxieties in life. He even says so much. But, what does he say we should be anxious about?

Paul makes an interesting distinction. He looks at unmarried men & women differently than he looks at married people. What does he say married folks are anxious about? “The things of the world.” And what does he say unmarried folks—young folks—should be anxious about? This is the kicker: “the things of the Lord.” Is that the answer you would have expected?

The last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about this in terms of my own existence as a priest and specifically as an assistant pastor. The pastor of my parish has concern for many of the “things of the world” that I don’t. For example, I don’t pay the bills to heat and cool the church. I don’t take care of the maintenance in the gym. I’m not involved in the administration of our wonderful school.

The result is that I have more time to be concerned with “the things of the Lord.” I have plenty of opportunity, for example, to visit the sick. I have time to be involved in CYO events. I have the opportunity to spend serious time in prayer every day. Hopefully I make good use of that availability, because God will hold me accountable for it.

Now, of course, my pastor does all of those things, too, so his duties among “the things of the world” are really in addition to his responsibilities to “the things of the Lord.” So Paul doesn’t mean that adults should no longer be anxious about “the things of the Lord.” He means that “the things of the world” get added on top of their responsibilities.

It works the same way for parents and children in a family, doesn’t it? Children have certain responsibilities: prayer, study, recreation, helping out around the house. Parents have those responsibilities in addition to others: paying the bills, providing shelter, earning a paycheck, raising children, contributing to the community.

What all this means for young people is simple: they should be grateful for the time and freedom and opportunity they have now to serve the Lord. And what it means for adults is this: we are not excused from “the things of the Lord” simply because “the things of the world” are pressing down upon us. All of us—young or old, married or unmarried—are equally responsible for serving the Lord.

“I should like you to be free of anxieties,” St. Paul says. And, yet, there are so many things competing for our time and attention. At the very least, we can prioritize the demands that are placed upon us. When we do that, “the things of the Lord” must always take first place.

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 is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 21st Sunday Ordin. Time
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) which is coming up on 24 August 2025. Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. It’s set in a melancholy mode, but if you heard my choir’s female voices singing it your soul would be uplifted beyond belief. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

Thus in 1905 the Vatican Kyriale appeared with rhythmic signs and the following legend: “Præsens exemplar, rhythmicis signis a Solesmensibus monachis ornatum, typicae Vaticanæ editioni de cætero plane conforme repertum est.” (This copy, provided with rhythmic signs by the monks of Solesmes, completely agrees in every other respect with the Vatican original.)

— Dom Gregory Hügle, OSB

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