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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 Downside Of Dialogue

Aurelio Porfiri · June 25, 2014

339 Fulton Sheen MAGINE THIS SCENE with me: a man, we will call him Andrea, is going to Mass. After the initial rites and the readings he waits for the homily. He hopes to receive some direction and instructions that he can consider, if not follow, in his daily life.

But suddenly the pastor starts to ask a question: “Jesus is risen from the dead: what do you think?”

“What do I think?” mumbles Andrea — “I am at Mass for this very reason.”

What is the meaning of the resurrection of Christ for your life? — I was expecting the answer from you, thinks Andrea. Strange scene? Not real? You may want to think again.

I AM SURE MANY OF US have experienced dialogued homilies, where you are asked to express an opinion on the Gospel heard. But not everything should be an occasion for a debate. In the Mass, with all our weakness and doubts, we should try to abandon ourselves to the healing Presence of Christ: at least, let us try. The homily should help to make sense of that Presence. If the priest seems to be himself trying to make sense of the Gospel, instead of instructing on the truth as received from the tradition of the church, then maybe there is something wrong. You may say that these are things that were alive in the 1960s, but not today. Not really.

An Italian example is given from the catholic news agency Corrispondenza Romana. Thanks to a new report from journalist Mauro Faverzani we learn that in the parish of San Carlo Borromeo in Pognano (province of Bergamo, North Italy) the Lent Season of this year has offered a big program of “Predicazione dialogata” (dialogued preaching).

Now, I believe that the preacher has the best of intentions, but the liturgical documents state that the homily should be preached only by a priest or deacon. 1 On April 9, the theme of the homily was, prophetically “Parola, liberta’ e verita’” (Word, freedom and truth). So, in the case of a debate the freedom of opinions is certainly welcomed, but in the case of the homily shouldn’t the explanation of the gospel have more importance, so as to make us come closer to the truth? We have a saying in Italy: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Maybe, especially in this case, the saying is not really wrong…



NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   GIRM §66: The Homily should ordinarily be given by the Priest Celebrant himself or be entrusted by him to a concelebrating Priest, or from time to time and, if appropriate, to the Deacon, but never to a lay person.



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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Dialogue Homilies Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Aurelio Porfiri

Renowned as composer, conductor, theorist, author, pedagogue, and organist, Aurelio Porfiri has served the Church on multiple continents at the highest levels. Born and raised in Italy, he currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Composer in Residence for Santa Rosa de Lima School (Macao, China).

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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

Re: Low Mass: “It is desirable that in read Masses on Sundays and feast-days, the Gospel and Epistle be read by a lector in the vernacular for the convenience of the faithful.”

— 1958 document, issued under Pope Pius XII

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