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Views from the Choir Loft

Sacrificing Ourselves

Fr. David Friel · April 28, 2013

EOPLE LIKE NEW STUFF. It’s true, isn’t it? We like that new car smell. We like the feel of brand new bed sheets. We like to be the first person to dip a knife into a fresh jar of peanut butter. People like new stuff.

I’m the youngest of four, so, growing up, I rarely had anything that was new. We were used car people—garage sale people. The toys I had were toys my brother had used. Virtually all my clothes were hand-me-downs. Even the books I had for school were books my brother and sisters had used first. So, when I did get something that was new, I appreciated it all the more.

Newness is a theme in Scripture, particularly the new Testament. In the Book of Revelation, the Lamb seated upon the throne declares: “Behold, I make all things new.” What a promise! In the Gospels, Jesus announces that He will give us a “new Commandment.” What do you think the Apostles thought of that? I imagine they were excited, since, after all, most people like new stuff.

So, what is this “new Commandment”? It is this: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. What’s so new about that? Doesn’t the Old Testament teach us to “love our neighbor as ourself”? It does, indeed, but that is something very different. The new Commandment of Jesus is not to love other people in the same way we love ourselves. The new Commandment is to love other people in the same way Jesus loves us. “Love one another as I have loved you.”

That’s much more serious, because how does Jesus love us? He gave Himself up to death for us. On the Cross, He showed that He actually loves us more than He loves Himself. What do you think the Apostles thought about this “new Commandment” now?

This is the great model for us. There is no other way. Jesus, Himself, is our Way, and so every Christian must offer the gift of our very selves—our hearts, our minds, our lives. Sacrificing ourselves: this is what Jesus means when He commands us to “love 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.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski
14 May 2022 • “Pure” Vatican Edition

As readers know, my choir has been singing from the “pure” Editio Vaticana. That is to say, the official rhythm which—technically—is the only rhythm allowed by the Church. I haven’t figured out how I want the scores to look, so in the meantime we’ve been using temporary scores that look like this. Stay tuned!

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The local church should be conscious that church worship is not really the same as what we sing in a bar, or what we sing in a convention for youth.

— Francis Cardinal Arinze (2005)

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