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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

Confession 2.0

Aurelio Porfiri · July 16, 2014

[ Enter Confessional ]

“SO MY GOOD SON, when was your last confession?”

“Long ago, Father.”

“Okay, so tell me what good things you have done?”

“Sorry father, I don’t understand…”

“I mean, what are the good actions you have done??”

.    .    .   

OUND STRANGE? This is the reverse of what we always think about confession. It is positive psychology applied to sinning souls. Now, I’ll be the first to recognize that positive reinforcement can be a good way to encourage people to do good. But the Catholic idea of confession departs to a very different point of view. This point of view, at the root of the Faith, is that we are sinners because of Original Sin and we need to confess our sins to obtain forgiveness.

Seriously, why do we always have to pretend we are good? We try, many times, but the weakness of our nature is there. Must we pretend we are like angels? (I have not met any in my lifetime.) Applying this attitude to confession, would be like going to a doctor and getting welcomed like this: “So, tell me how well your liver has been working in the past month? I know you have a wonderful stomach!” (when it is all true, but on the other hand you are displaying symptoms of a heart attack that he is ignoring.) Please, give us the freedom to be sinners!

There are others that are more interested in your sins as a citizen: “Have you paid taxes? Are you going to vote? Did you respect street signals?” Not voting is a sin? Yes! Maybe. Okay, maybe I’m wrong. But while I’m here I want also to propose some new sins that we should confess in this new time of technological progress. I think it is a big sin when you are chatting on Facebook and someone shows you the sign for OKAY (the famous finger that the developers of Facebook introduced not long ago) even if you are telling them you are going to die during the night.

Other sins are from the people of Google: have you ever tried a Google search of your name and found that for some mysterious reason your name is also featured in unmentionable websites, making you afraid that you may have done something wrong without having memory of it? Last, but not least: what do you think of those people putting “lol” everywhere: “Yes, I am going to raise your salary, lol”; “Of course, your nodule is benign lol”; “You know I will never betray you, lol.” How many Hail Marys would this kind of sin deserve?


BOTTEGA • Aurelio Porfiri is where you can discover
many of Mæstro Porfiri’s compositions in PDF format.

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 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “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
    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

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

“The replies to this committee (of which Mgr Bugnini was the secretary) reveal a desire to reform the liturgy. In what sense? Out of 2,109 responses from bishops, just three expressed the desire to restore Communion under both kinds. There was a sizable demand for limited use of the vernacular, but only one French bishop wanted the entire Mass in French.”

— Fr. Dominic Allain (2019)

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