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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

The Mercy of God Makes Saints

Fr. David Friel · April 27, 2014

ACK IN JULY 2013, Pope Francis made news because he invited a group of homeless men & women to come for dinner at the Vatican. It wasn’t widely reported, but his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had actually done something similar. Pope Benedict had invited a group of homeless people to lunch back in 2010. There were some differences between the two events, though.

For one of the meals, the Holy Father actually attended the event personally and went to each table to greet the homeless people. At one of the events, 200 people were invited, while at the other there were 250. So, which of those events was which? Which Holy Father actually attended the event and ate with the larger number of homeless people?

Answer: Pope Benedict XVI.

My point is not to criticize Pope Francis. I love Pope Francis, just as I have loved every pope before him. But, if a person were simply to go on the impression given in the secular media, that person would certainly have thought that it was Francis who had attended the meal with the larger number of homeless. The media is enthralled with Francis, and I think that’s great. They like him because he talks about the poor and the people on the fringes of society. Of course, every other pope before him has spoken about the poor and downtrodden, too (very often, in fact), but the media can sometimes suffer from selective hearing.

The almost pre-determined script goes that Pope Benedict was a staunch, conservative academic who was behind the times, and that Francis is the new, friendly, liberal face of a changing Catholic Church. But, is that characterization really based on facts, or is it just part of an engaging media story? There is no doubt that stories with tension and struggle and conflict make for better news. But the “better story” is not necessarily the more accurate story.

There is a wedge that some people try to drive between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis. That same false polarization has been the theme of much of the coverage surrounding this weekend’s historic canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. I read a story on The Huffington Post the other day that was representative of most of the stories I have from the major news outlets (i.e., outside EWTN). It presents John XXIII as a “liberal champion” and John Paul II as a “conservative stalwart.” It goes on to describe John XXIII as the pope who threw open the windows to let in fresh air, while John Paul II is supposedly the pope who closed them up a bit to squelch the draft. In other words, the canonization has been reduced by many people to a matter of petty politics. But is that the most accurate story? Are either of those broad descriptions even accurate in themselves?

Yes, these two popes were incredibly different in some respects, yet still very much alike in others. Before all else, they are alike in one very important way. Their most important point of unity is this: what made them saintly is the same thing that makes all saints saintly—the mercy of God. None of us, on our own power or by our own talents & abilities, is capable of sanctity. With God’s grace, however, all of us are capable of sanctity.

To be a canonized saint means simply that the Church has formally recognized that a certain person is in heaven. There is a whole process for how that happens. It involves a close investigation of the person’s life & writings and the acceptance of two miracles attributed to the person’s intercession. But none of that is what really makes a person a saint. It might lead to the canonization ceremony, but it has no effect on the person’s salvation.

In every age and in every place, the only means to eternal salvation is the mercy of God. None of us will reach heaven on account of how wonderful we are or all the good things we’ve done. We are never saved because we, ourselves, are good; we can be saved only because God, our Savior, is good. And He is very good!

In the Roman Canon, right after the priest recites the second list of saints, he prays a brief summary of this idea. The prayer says this: “Admit us, we beseech You, into their company, not weighing our merits, but granting us Your pardon.” We may never be canonized, but because of God’s mercy, each of us has the same chance to become a saint as any pope.

Every year since the year 2000, on this Second Sunday of Easter, the Church has celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. Why? Because it was in that year that St. John Paul the Great (back when he was just Pope John Paul II) established that the octave day of the Easter solemnity should be observed as the Feast of Divine Mercy. We rejoice today, as two beloved popes are raised to the altars. Before all else, the cause of our celebration is not any of their many accomplishments, not any sort of politics, nor even the memorable, common touch of these two larger-than-life men. The cause of our celebration is the mercy of God, which was so visibly at work within them, enabling them to reach sanctity on Earth.

Does the Church make saints? No. Does the media make saints? No. Does the pope make saints? No. The mercy of God alone makes saints. Praise God for St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II, by whose heavenly intercession we will all be richly blessed!

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Pope Saint John Paul II 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

    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —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
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “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
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

When we say: “The people like this” we regard them as unable to develop, as animals rather than human beings, and we simply neglect our duties in helping them towards a true human existence — indeed, in this case, to truly Christian existence.

— Professor László Dobszay (2003)

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