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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

Holy Communion

Fr. David Friel · May 17, 2012

With very few exceptions, I don’t like movies. I get bored or annoyed or offended by them, and then I fall asleep. One exception is Young Frankenstein. Among my most favorite of my many favorite lines in that film is the classic quip from Igor: “Wait Master! It might be dangerous. . . . You go first.”

I think we’ve all experienced that moment before, when we are metaphorically the first in line to jump out of the airplane and we’d rather someone else go first just to get things started. The awkward moment may have occurred atop a diving board or behind a podium or in the on-deck circle. Igor captures well the sentiment we have all shared at some point, wherever we might have been: the feeling of desperation as we scramble for a much-needed sense of security.

This strikes me not only as a natural reaction, but also as a very supernatural notion. Is it not good for us to have fellowship with those around us, encouraging us onward? Jesus, Himself, says: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to Myself so that where I am, you also may be. Where I am going, you know the way” (John 14:3-4). Jesus, here, volunteers to be the first one to jump, the opening speaker, and the lead-off batter. In a sense, He makes it easy for us. All we have to do is follow.

I remember having this feeling in the years before I was ordained a deacon. I knew the men in the classes ahead of me well, and I recall experiencing a sense of relief as I watched my friends be ordained. “If they can lay down their lives for Christ and the Church, so can I.”

The experience reversed itself a bit this past weekend. I’ve been a priest for nearly a year, and I had the joy on Saturday of concelebrating the ordination Mass of three more friends to the diaconate. Again, I must confess to experiencing a sense of profound relief. “I’m not alone; there are people coming after me!”

The Lord surely must have felt that way. At the outset of His ministry, He had said to Simon & Andrew, “Come, follow Me” (Mark 1:17). When they went out on Pentecost proclaiming the Kingdom and when “thousands were added to their number” (Acts 2:41), do you not think Jesus would have been exuberant: “I’m not alone; there are people coming after me!”

The experience of these years of friends’ ordinations has taught me something profound about Communion. It is good to have others go before us; and it is good to have others follow behind us. We are never alone. God is really with us. Whether things are dangerous or not, He always goes before us, like the pillar of fire of old.

This kind of Communion serves magnificently to “confirm the brethren” (Luke 22:32). It draws us out of our individualism and situates us in the context of the mystical Body of Christ. This inspires me to “tell the next generation that such is our God, our God forever and always; it is He Who leads us” (Psalm 48:14)!

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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I, (Name), do declare that I do believe that there is not any Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or in the elements of the bread and wine, at or after the consecration thereof by any person whatsoever.”

— ‘From England’s Anti-Catholic Oath (1673)’

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