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Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Pope’s interview, context and Latin.

Veronica Brandt · September 21, 2013

Elizabeth My daughter, who currently speaks Latin and English equally well. EADING THE POPE’S INTERVIEW is a great way to start the day. I’d better admit though, I haven’t read the whole thing yet, but quotes have been flying around the interwebs like confetti. Everyone is doing a take on it. There’s so much in the interview that everyone can find a chunk to bolster their own personal bandwagon. But if you want to really understand it, you need to go back to the interview and look at the chunks in context.

Just out of interest, the word “Latin” pops up in the interview three times. Which is exactly the same frequency as “abortion” and “homosexual”, so let me go off on that tangent, although, like abortion and homosexuality, that is not the main message in the Pope’s interview.

From time to time the idea comes up that it is not practical to use Latin prayers or hymns because your average person in the pew can’t understand it. Some will say that one must study Latin before attempting any liturgical applications of the language. There is a logic here – if one were writing a letter or watching a show, it would be important to know the language, but that is a different context.

Back when I first came across a place that used Latin with lavish abandon, I did fret that I was missing out because I didn’t know what it all meant. I was used to being on the inside of the choir, knowing what was coming up next, having the words and music handy. So I put together a new book of old hymns, digging up old translations and bugging people to help me with new ones.

Then I was sort of disappointed to find that most people didn’t really care that much. They were happy to listen to the beautiful music. Over time they would become familiar with bits and pieces. They might ask after Mass about a particularly striking piece and there would be a choir member there to give more than enough information about its meanings and origins.

More recently someone was warning against relying on Latin hymns, saying the average person can’t understand them. I reassured her that the Mass books in the church had the English versions following each Latin hymn. Except O Sanctissima. That was one of the later additions, when I was making all those compromises that come with collective decisions. But that was alright, she said, because everyone knows that one.

Which is the point with Latin in the liturgy. People just get to know the bits they like. The translations are not that far away. You’re not expected to know everything. If you want to know, then there is someone to ask. And most people don’t care that much.

To borrow a chunk from the Pope:

I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds…. And you have to start from the ground up.

People come to Mass to pray in all sorts of ways. Some for the peace, some to plead for a loved one, some to give something of themselves, some just to glorify God. In our parish there are broken families, broken hearts, people struggling with various trials. In our world it is even crazier. So much to pray for. So much beyond our ability to comprehend!

If you want to join in the singing, then come an hour before Mass starts and I’ll go through the music with you. Please. Your kids can kick a ball around with my kids. And I’ll make sure there’s a piece of cake for you after Mass.

In the meantime you can read Jeffrey Tucker’s pick from the Big Interview at Chant Cafe.

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 Veronica Brandt

Veronica Brandt holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and six children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. I don’t know a more gorgeous ENTRANCE CHANT than the one given there: Misericórdia Dómini Plena Est Terra.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Entrance Chant” • 4th Sunday of Easter
    You can download the ENTRANCE ANTIPHON in English for the 4th Sunday of Easter (11 May 2025). Corresponding to the vocalist score is this free organ accompaniment. The English adaptation matches the authentic version (Misericórdia Dómini), which is in a somber yet gorgeous mode. If you’re someone who enjoys rehearsal videos, this morning I tried to sing it while simultaneously accompanying my voice on the pipe organ.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music List • “Repertoire for Weddings”
    Not everyone thinks about sacred music 24/7 like we do. When couples are getting married, they often request “suggestions” or “guidance” or a “template” for their musical selections. I created this music list with repertoire suggestions for Catholic weddings. Please feel free to download it if you believe it might give you some ideas or inspiration.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    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
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

[to the executioner] Sir Thomas More: “I forgive you right readily.” [gives him a coin] “Be not afraid of your office; you send me to God.” Archbishop Cranmer: “You’re very sure of that, Sir Thomas?” More: “He will not refuse one who is so blithe to go to him.” [kneeling, he places his head on the chopping block]

— From “A Man for All Seasons” (1960 play by Robert Bolt)

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