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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Laws of life

Andrew R. Motyka · October 9, 2013

hings have been quite hectic for the last couple of weeks, leading to my missing my scheduled post last week. Apologies all around. This week I would briefly like to focus on a brief prayer that my choir prays prior to each rehearsal and Mass. It is the RSCM Choristers’ Prayer, and I learned it while working with Charles Cole at the 2011 CMAA Colloquium in Pittsburgh:

Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants who minister in Thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

According to the site linked above, the prayer has been almost unchanged since its origins as a blessing for cantors from the Fourth Council of Carthage (ca. 398). What I find particularly interesting about this prayer, though, is its simple articulation of an important concept in liturgical theology: lex orandi, lex credendi.

Lex orandi, lex credendi is a mnemonic for the idea that “the law of prayer is the law of belief.” Our liturgical prayer, in form and execution, bears heavily on our faith. This is why careful ars celebrandi (i.e., the style and reverence of sacramental celebration) is to be fostered. Irreverent treatment of the matters of liturgy will, over time, damage the faithful’s understanding and attitude toward sacred matter. As one of my graduate professors, Leo Nestor, used to say of careless and vapid musical choices: “That kind of music will rot your teeth and erode your faith.”

Likewise, a reverent ars celebrandi fosters a more healthy faith. When serious things are treated seriously by the priest, servers, choir, and other ministers, it has an influence on the way those things are treated by the faithful. What I also love about this prayer is continuation into the next part of the traditional principle: lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi. Our law of prayer forms our law of belief, which forms our lives. Remember that the liturgy is not educational, but it is formative, so serious celebration and good musical choices will assist in the forming of the very lives of the faithful.

Again, as Dr. Nestor used to say, “Always be careful what words you put into the mouths of the people of God.” We should take that advice seriously.

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 Andrew R. Motyka

Andrew Motyka is the Archdiocesan Director of Liturgical Music and Cathedral Music for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

Pope Gelasius in his 9th Letter to the Bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the Bishop of Tusculum: “Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry.” We too have forbidden this practice in the same words in Our oft-repeated constitution “Etsi Pastoralis” (§6, #21)

— Pope Benedict XIV • Encyclical “Allatae Sunt” (26 July 1755)

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