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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

The Song of the Angels

Fr. David Friel · December 25, 2013

ANGER SCENES ever since St. Francis of Assisi have successfully led the faithful to deeper mediation on the great mystery of the Incarnation. Most nativity scenes are static displays, though, so they can’t replicate the smells, the cold, or the crying of the Bethlehem stable. Another feature of the moment that nativity scenes rarely capture is the music. Yet, that stable and its environs were a very musical scene.

Think about the song of the “multitude of the heavenly host” (Luke 2:13) for a moment: “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace to people of good will” (Luke 2:14). It’s like a one-two punch, a cause-and-effect, a natural progression. When we give glory to God, we receive His peace as a result. It is a simple formula, but one that so often goes untried. In our small-mindedness and short-sightedness, we fail to understand that the highest privilege we have as humans is to give glory to God. When we engage in divine worship, we are actually reaching our fullest potential. Said another way, we are most human in the moments we spend glorifying God.

So why do we spend so much time glorifying other things? Our world tells us to glorify all kinds of stupid things, like Xbox & iPhones & gift cards. Crazy news coverage almost forces us to glorify singers & actresses & athletes. I think it’s reasonable to say, though, that the primary trouble for most of us is not glorifying material possessions or celebrities. They are part of the equation, but the primary trouble is probably the time we spend glorifying ourselves. We fall into the habit of putting our own needs and wants before those of others. We worry about what other people think about us and fixate on preserving our reputation. We go out of our way to gain the praise & adulation of our family & friends & strangers.

Glorifying material possessions or celebrities or ourselves is simply a waste of time and energy. If our focus is only on those things, we’ll never be at peace. Only God brings us peace. Jesus is the very Prince of Peace, and when we give Him the gift of ourselves, we receive the reciprocal gift of His peace.

The angels who sang to the shepherds of Bethlehem had it right, and we’ve been getting it wrong ever since. We could all use a little more peace in our lives, so why not give their simple formula a try? It’s a truism that holds in every age and in every place. If we give glory to God in the highest, all the rest of our lives will fall into right order, and we will be blessed with peace.

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 is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

It would be contrary to the Constitution to decree or even to hint that sung celebrations, especially of the Mass, should be in Latin.

— Annibale Bugnini attacking “Sacrosanctum Concilium” (§36)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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