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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

The Gift of Music

Fr. David Friel · August 18, 2013

O YOU EVER FALL INTO THE TRAP of thinking that the music you make is your gift to God? To a certain extent it is. Yet, in a much deeper sense, it is not.

After a lengthy passage recalling the Lord’s goodness to His people throughout history, Joshua makes a beautiful observation: “[The Lord] gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant” (Joshua 24:13). Everything we have—material & spiritual—is the gratuitous gift of God. Nothing we could ever do or offer really originates in us. Everything issues from above.

Even the offerings we make at Mass do not truly come from us. The bread and wine, to be sure, are the handiwork of a farmer and vinedresser. But are they ultimately responsible for the bread and wine? They may plant and tend the wheat and the grapes, but it is God Who provides the growth. This notion is included in the text of Eucharistic Prayer IV: “Look, O Lord, upon the sacrifice which You, Yourself, have provided for Your Church.” It’s in the Roman Canon, too: “We . . . offer to Your glorious majesty, from the gifts that You have given us . . . the holy Bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.”

A popular English hymn elaborates on this idea:

We plough the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land; But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand: He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

Chorus: All good gifts around us Are sent from heaven above, Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord For all His love.

He only is the maker of all things near and far; He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed; Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good, The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food; No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts, But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

We see the same truth spelled out in little children. When their parents’ birthdays come around, young children have no means with which to purchase a meaningful gift. Very often at Christmastime, the money children have to buy gifts for their family members is actually given to them by their parents. All that children can offer on their own is perhaps a worthless piece of refrigerator art. What gives such a gift value is that it was made and given with love.

Before God, we all must look very much like young children. Nothing we have is really ours. We cannot fairly take credit for any of our possessions, nor any of our talents. All that we can truly offer is ourselves.

Fortunately, that is precisely what the Lord wants from 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 and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Thus in 1905 the Vatican Kyriale appeared with rhythmic signs and the following legend: “Præsens exemplar, rhythmicis signis a Solesmensibus monachis ornatum, typicae Vaticanæ editioni de cætero plane conforme repertum est.” (This copy, provided with rhythmic signs by the monks of Solesmes, completely agrees in every other respect with the Vatican original.)

— Dom Gregory Hügle, OSB

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