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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

High School Students

Fr. David Friel · July 21, 2013

IGH SCHOOL KIDS are busy. If you have a high schooler in your family or extended family, you know that’s true. They’re into a lot of things, and they try to balance their responsibilities to their family with the desire to spend time with their friends. During the school year, they have projects and homework and reading and tests to do. Some of them get heavily involved in sports. Others get into the band. Some of them have jobs. They devote a lot of time and energy to friends and relationships. And I can only imagine how much time they devote to building their digital profile through Vine and Instagram and whatever. With all that they do, high school kids can be a lot like Martha—Martha, who was “anxious and worried about many things.”

But Jesus insists: “there is need of only one thing.” What is that one, necessary thing? Spending time with Him. Of course, that is what Mary, Martha’s sister, does. She sits “at the feet” of Jesus, “listening to Him speak.” This time last week, I was on retreat with almost 25 high school students from my parish. It was an awesome experience—a very enthusiastic, energetic, energizing experience. You might not think of that as a great environment for listening to the Lord, but it was. They chose to put aside the tendency to be like Martha for a whole weekend so that they could practice being like Mary. Instead of rushing around, being busy about many things, they went on retreat. Unlike so many of their peers, these young men & women spent last Friday and Saturday night . . . in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Of course, things are different back home. Peter, James, & John could not stay atop Mount Tabor, and neither can we. Nevertheless, even though things are different, there is nothing to stop us from having a powerful experience of God at home, wherever we are. Since God can be found in all things, one need not be in a specific place to experience Him.

Many of the young people in our group mentioned to me how deeply moved they were during the time they spent in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The good news is that the Eucharist we worshipped last week on retreat is the very same Eucharist present in the tabernacle of our church here in Philadelphia. Think about it: in the story of Martha & Mary, where was Mary when she had her encounter with Jesus? Where was she as she sat at His feet? She was in her own home.

Lots of times it is easier to experience God when we are on retreat or on a pilgrimage. There is nothing wrong with that, but the challenge is to keep searching for Him when we return home. Home, in fact, is where we should be most comfortable sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. I pray that all who search for God will do so with energy and enthusiasm. No matter how intensely we search for God, He will always be searching a thousand times more intensely for us!

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

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
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

Random Quote

It is unworthy that the stone holds Him, Who encloses everything in His hand, Locked in by the forbidding rock. (“Indígnum est cujus claudúntur cuncta pugíllo | Ut tegat inclúsum rupe vetánte lapis.”)

— SALVE FESTA DIES (Eastertide)

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