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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

Homily: 3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Guest Author · March 23, 2014

ALWAYS HESITATE to take the shorter version of the Scripture readings when that is given as an option. I think it is better to shorten the sermon or homily rather than to take the shorter reading from the Bible. Now I realize this reasoning may not always be valid or even the best choice, but it is a thought that does influence my choice. I didn’t pay attention to which parts would be omitted in the shorter version of today’s Gospel. But today’s event is very memorable in the life of our Lord. It has inspired some great paintings. It brings out qualities and characteristics of our Lord that perhaps are not so clearly seen in other events.

To me this event shows that our Lord came for sinners. We have no way of knowing if this woman was a notorious sinner, that is, everyone knew that by now she had had five husbands. Was that possibly the reason she was coming to the well by herself at noon to get water? Had the other women all come earlier when it was cooler? Who knows how some of those husbands might have treated her? Of course Jesus knew. I have always been amused by this woman’s use of what some would call a ‘mental’ reservation when she said she had no husband. Was she really meaning that she knew she was in an ‘invalid’ marriage, and that the man she was now with was not really her husband? Or did she think she might strike up something with this nice looking young man? Well Jesus soon put the damper on that!

It just all goes to show us that human nature doesn’t change. I often think of that when we meet that Gospel passage which has the Pharisees asking, “Master, Is it ever lawful for a man to divorce his wife and marry another?” I often think, “They were asking that question back then and they are still asking that question.” And the answer is still the same. “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder” has been, is, and will always be true. Or as the elderly Illinois farmer once put it to me, “What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong, and you can’t change it!”

And the nature of marriage can’t change. I have often said that I thought there were some truths that were self evident, like the Constitution of the United States speaks about. All men are created equal; the right to the pursuit of happiness, etc. They are so self-evident; we don’t have to prove them. I used to think that marriage was the union or joining for life of one man and one woman for the begetting of children and their mutual help and support. This was a self evident truth and didn’t need any proof. But apparently lots of people no longer think this way.

Sin has been going on a long time, ever since the time of Adam and Eve. It seems the characteristic of our time is that now we want to call sin something good; we want to say we have a right to things that are sinful; we think others should even support and promote sinful ways of life. And if you are unwilling to do that, you are being unfair and unjust. I think we are becoming worse than the ancient pagan Romans and Greeks. I never heard of them approving same-sex marriages. And even uneducated and uncivilized people didn’t kill their own children or approve abortion.

When the Blessed Mother gave us the ‘Fatima‘ prayer to be prayed after each decade of the Rosary, I’m referring mainly to the words “especially those who have most need of thy mercy,” I think she must have been thinking of those who aren’t even aware of sin and God anymore. The Bible speaks of not ‘hardening’ your hearts. I’ve heard that some psychologists say that guilt feelings are bad for us. I don’t know that I agree. If I do something wrong, I should feel guilty, and it is good to feel guilty, so that I will do something about it. The tragic situation is to do wrong, but to have such a hardened heart as to not feel guilty. One can easily die unrepentant in that state. Hopefully we will meet this lady at the well in heaven some day and learn ‘the rest of the story’.


We hope you enjoyed this homily by Fr. Valentine Young, OFM.

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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President’s Corner

    2-Voice Arr. • “Creator of the Starry Height”
    Do you direct a choir consisting of women or children only? (Some call this a “treble” choir.) Download a two-voice arrangement of Creator of the Starry Height set to the tune of IOANNES by clicking here and then scrolling to the bottom. In our times, this hymn is normally used during ADVENT, and the Latin title is: Cónditor alme síderum. It’s important to say “cónditor”—placing the accent on the antepenult—because ‘condítor’ in Latin means “one who embalms the dead.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Equal Voices” Choir Pieces
    My colleague, CORRINNE MAY, has posted some delightful compositions for equal voices: that is, choirs consisting of all men or all women. Included there are settings of the “Ave Maria” and “Tantum Ergo.” They strike me as relatively simple and not excessively lengthy. (In other words, within reach of volunteer singers.) Even better, all the scores have been made available as instant PDF downloads, completely free of charge. Bravo!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In my capacity as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, I continue to remind all that the celebration toward the East (versus orientem) is authorized by the rubrics of the missal, which specify the moments when the celebrant must turn toward the people. A particular authorization is, therefore, not needed to celebrate Mass facing the Lord.”

— ‘Robert Cardinal Sarah, 23 May 2016’

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