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Corpus Christi Watershed

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

The Antidote to Violence

Fr. David Friel · December 18, 2012

ATE FRIDAY MORNING, I was over at a nearby cemetery doing a committal service. On my way back to the parish, I turned on the local news radio station, because I wanted to hear the details about the pitching trades the Phillies had made earlier in the day. What I actually heard, though, was something about a school shooting in Connecticut. To be honest, I didn’t think too much of it, probably because you hear about so many shootings these days. But, when I parked my car back at the rectory, something subconsciously made me walk through our school on my way back to the parish offices.

I walked down the hallway with our kindergarten classrooms, and I saw a few of our youngest students standing at the classroom door. As I walked by, one of the little girls looked right at me. She had two ponytails, bangs, and a gap between her front teeth. Looking up at me, she took her little hand and waved it at me feverishly. As I waved back, I thought to myself, “Isn’t she precious?” Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. Yes, she is, literally, precious—beyond price, unrepeatable, and irreplaceable. I couldn’t fathom, in my wildest imagination, how anyone could intentionally harm such a beautiful, innocent, happy child.

We live in a culture that does awful, wicked things to children. Our culture exploits children. It neglects children. It abuses children. We contracept children. We kill children before they’re born (and even while they’re being born). We live in a culture that does awful, wicked things to children.

But still, how could someone shoot a first grader? It’s one thing when a soldier or police officer shoots a person because they are being physically threatened. But no one is threatened by a simple child. So, why do we act so threatened by children? Today’s average American family has only 1.8 children. Four thousand American mothers “choose” to kill their baby every day. The most dangerous place in the United States isn’t Camden or Detroit or LA. It’s the mother’s womb, because there’s a 27% chance you won’t make it out of there alive. What’s the big threat? Why are we so afraid?

We’re not the first people ever to feel threatened by children. There was once a man named Herod the Great, who ruled over the Jewish people. He heard whispers about a Baby to be born. Three kings from the east had told Herod that this Baby would be a great King. He felt his own authority being threatened, so this “Herod the Great” ordered that all the baby boys in Bethlehem be killed. In our Church, we call these children the “Holy Innocents”; we celebrate their feast day on December 28th. Herod felt insecure, and so he did something heinous. He committed an atrocity so he could feel safe and to protect his own convenience.

All of this goes to show us something about ourselves and our situation. I daresay we have (collectively) lost the ability to welcome the child. Whereas Jesus says, “Let the children come to me,” we say, “Take them away; don’t plague me with children.” Maybe that’s why God became a Baby at Christmas: so that we could learn to welcome Him. In just over a week, we are going to see the Christ Child lying in a manger. He came as a harmless Baby, and yet He inspired fear in the heart of Herod.

But God is not threatened by children. In the Book of Zephaniah, He actually refers to us, with great affection, as His daughter. He says, “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Be glad and exult, O daughter Jerusalem!” (Zep 3:14). He goes on to promise that “He will rejoice over [us] with gladness” (Zep 3:17). Now that’s an image of how we should respond to children: with joy & gladness & rejoicing. We should take a lesson from God, Who calls us His daughter and rejoices over us. We must learn to welcome the child, which is what Advent is all about. After all, in the eyes of God, we are all children.

When I saw that beautiful girl with the ponytails waving at me, I felt powerfully how precious every child is. I hope that, when we see the Christ Child in the manger this Christmas, we will all be moved just as powerfully. And I hope we will learn that Jesus demands that we welcome His children with joy & gladness & rejoicing.

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

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

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“By no means would I offer the counsel that Mass be celebrated in languages other than Latin.”

— Archbishop Dwyer (one of the Vatican II fathers)

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