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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

Something We Humans Detest: Hypocrisy!

Jeff Ostrowski · July 16, 2013

EARS AGO, SOMEONE TOLD ME that insanity is caused when the brain sends more “messages” than a person can handle all at once. For instance, what does your leg feel like right now? I suppose your leg feels fine, but you had to “think about it” to know for sure. Why weren’t you thinking about it before I asked you? Because your brain realized it was fine, so there was no reason to send you a “message” about it. The human brain is a marvelous wonder of God’s creation and somehow knows which messages are important! No one who studies the human brain can remain an atheist for long. Speaking of the brain, for years I’ve written about something I call “the learn a new word, see it within 24 hours phenomenon.” It seems that when you focus on something, your brain stores it in a special place, and perceives instances of it you wouldn’t normally notice. It happens constantly to me.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE. Around 6:00pm I spoke to my wife about something I’ve been noticing lately. Let me explain. After the Second Vatican Council, tremendous apostasy ensued, and many folks twisted what the Council actually said into a falsehood they labeled “the spirit of the Council.” One aspect went something like this:

“God doesn’t care about rules and commandments. God doesn’t care about rubrics, fancy ceremonies, or beautiful liturgies. God doesn’t care about creeds and outward observances. God doesn’t care about sin or confession anymore. God doesn’t care if nuns and priests wear secular clothing. That’s all bad, outdated, pre-Conciliar stuff. The only thing God cares about is that we’re nice to one another and never offend anybody by talking about sin or hell. As long as we are friendly and neighborly, that’s all God cares about.”

Ironically, I’ve observed that many leaders of this “spirit of Vatican II” movement (who rose to positions of power in the Church during the 1970s and 1980s) are quite nasty. Filled with hatred, sarcasm, and arrogance, they seem to have no genuine love for anybody. I’ve seen what true love of neighbor is, and they don’t have it. My father, for instance, is a very loving person. He cares deeply about all humanity (even complete strangers!) and spends his time and money trying to help people every day.

Sure enough, less than two hours after sharing this with my wife, I came across the following passage by Paul W. Le Voir in a 1993 article he wrote for Sacred Music:

The church music scene in the United States today is not a pretty picture, and it has been growing uglier by the year for some decades. Composers and liturgists of the contemporary kind, whose compositions and writings will, thankfully, be forgotten by the end of the millennium, are lionized in publications and on programs of all kinds. Various associations and organizations within the Church regularly honor these individuals, perpetuating the corruption while lending it an air of legitimacy and the illusion of authority. Members of this American liturgical/musical establishment continually boast about their flexibility and sensitivity, but they are in fact the most rigid and insensitive of the Church’s members, especially if one has the temerity to challenge them, their policies, their processes, or their programs.

I can absolutely vouch for what Mr. Le Voir wrote, based on personal experience. I find it remarkable that within a few hours of speaking to my wife about this hypocrisy I should come across that paragraph.

Bottom line: if you make “friendliness” your calling card . . . be nice!

May our Lord Jesus Christ help us never to become discouraged while doing His work. May the Lord continue to renew the Church and may He help us to go to confession when we fall.

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 Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025, which is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down.” The COMMUNION ANTIPHON—both text and melody—are particularly beautiful and exceedingly 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
    Errors in Latin: “17th Sund. Ordinary”
    The COMMUNION for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) contains several typos in the Jogues Illuminated Missal with regard to the Latin text. That particular COMMUNION ANTIPHON is extremely ancient, and the English Adaptation is utterly gorgeous. For the record, it’s normal for books to contain typos; even books by Father Fortescue and Monsignor Knox have errors. Books by Solesmes Abbey—surely among the finest ever produced—contain many printing errors. Click here to see a few examples of typos.
    —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

Random Quote

If the homily goes on too long, it will affect two characteristic elements of the liturgical celebration: its balance and its rhythm. The words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the center of attention.

— Pope Francis (11/24/2013)

Recent Posts

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  • Errors in Latin: “17th Sund. Ordinary”
  • “Tell Me Lies; Tell Me Sweet Little Lies.” • Re: Post-Conciliar Lectionary Problems
  • PDF Download • “Catholic Texts Transcend”

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