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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

‘Medieval’ Liturgy and ‘Scholastic’ Theology

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · January 2, 2014

901 Simone ANY MODERN CATHOLICS believe that scholastic theology has been rendered obsolete by the “discoveries” of modern Scripture scholarship, modern philosophy, and, well, all things modern, which are generally perceived as improvements upon all that has come before. In like manner, modern(-ist) liturgists, like the members of Paul VI’s Consilium, believed that the Roman liturgy as inherited from the Middle Ages was burdened with grave defects that had to be corrected by a more scientific and more contemporary approach to liturgy. How wrong they were has been confirmed, sadly, by the mass exodus of faithful souls from the churches on Sundays, the greying of the diocesan clergy, the emptying of religious houses, the secularization of confessional schools, and, in short, to use Bouyer’s poignant phrase, the decomposition of Catholicism.

As students of Saint Thomas know, medieval theology is infinitely superior to modern theology qua modern; it surpasses it in depth, breadth, profundity, insight, coherence, truth, and above all, in fidelity to Sacred Scripture as the inspired, the truly revealed, word of God.

The liturgy, too, as it organically developed down through the ages participates in the same inspired and revealed quality, which is why it breathes the air of Scripture. It is thoroughly in accord not only with the text, which it uses in a totally integrated and familiar way, but also with the inner meaning, trajectory or tone, of Scripture. Take the Psalms, for example, of which the ancient Mass and Office are woven like a seamless garment from top to bottom.

The incoherent pluralism of Catholic theology at the start of the 21st century is anything but edifying—one symptom among many that the crisis in the Church has reached proportions comparable to those of the late Middle Ages, and will require a creative response as effective as that of the Counter-Reformation.

In like manner, the divisive pluralism of the liturgy today—the radically different manners in which the Ordinary Form can be celebrated, the encouragement (in the official rubrics!) of ad libbing, the loss of any certainty about what is and what is not Catholic, the cafeteria-style approach to tradition and doctrine that characterizes the entire daily life of the Church—is thoroughly disedifying and is, let us not mince words, a major impediment to the success, or perhaps even the start, of any new evangelization.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Consilium of Pope Paul VI, Saint Thomas Aquinas Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —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

“From six in the evening, his martyrdom had continued through the ghastly night until nine o’clock in the morning. After fifteen hours of torture rarely if ever surpassed in the bloody annals of the Iroquois, the soul of Gabriel Lalemant was freed from its charred and mutilated prison and summoned to join his comrade Jean de Brébeuf in the radiant splendor of God. March 17th, 1649, was the date; for Brébeuf it had been the sixteenth.”

— ‘Fr. John A. O’Brien, speaking of St. Gabriel Lalemant’

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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