Views from the Choir Loft

Like Eve in the Garden

Guest Author · July 23, 2014

HEN I RECEIVED my copy of the St. Isaac Jogues Missal in the mail and opened it up, I couldn’t help but think about Eve’s encounter with that enticing fruit that was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Unlike that ancient story, though, the fruit in my hands was not forbidden but simply forgotten.

Before me was a work that was pleasant simply to hold in my hands, but what I found inside was even more beautiful. For years there has been discussion about a reform of the reform of the Sacred Liturgy, but with the arrival of the Jogues Missal, I suggest that we can begin to make real strides for three reasons.

IRST, it is beautiful. We all know that first impressions matter, but publishers often fail to employ that wisdom in liturgical texts. Such is not the case here. The text size and font make it attractive and easy to read. The full-page artwork and smaller works sprinkled throughout catch the eye and edify the spirit. And the Order of the Mass explains in word and image the glory of the Holy Sacrifice. In short, the missal imitates well the Beauty that lies before us.

ECOND, it permits options. We’ve been optioned to death these last fifty years, but these options are welcome ones. A choice between the Gradual or Responsorial Psalm and Gospel Acclamation or Ancient Alleluia, as well as the inclusion of the Mass Propers and Sequences, make this missal usable at any parish, whether they are thinking about the reform for the first time or have been working at it for many years.

INALLY, it is a work of love. The DIY liturgies and disposable missalettes have seen the Sacred Liturgy and written Word abused and devalued, but the Jogues Missal seeks to honor them both. Designed to last for years, it calls to mind the enduring nature of the Sacred Liturgy and the attention to details speaks volumes of the publishers’ desire to glorify the Lord and help others encounter Him in Holy Mass.

Of the many gifts given to the Church by her members in recent years, this one is especially needed today. May we soon see it widely used, all for the greater glory of God!

St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us!

We hope you enjoyed this guest article by Fr. Brent Maher.

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

‘Bogey’ of the Half-Educated: Paraphrase

Father Adrian Porter, using the cracher dans la soupe example, did a praiseworthy job explaining the difference between ‘dynamic’ and ‘formal’ translation. This is something Monsignor Ronald Knox explained time and again—yet even now certain parties feign ignorance. I suppose there will always be people who pretend the only ‘valid’ translation of Mitigásti omnem iram tuam; avertísti ab ira indignatiónis tuæ… would be “You mitigated all ire of you; you have averted from your indignation’s ire.” Those who would defend such a translation suffer from an unfortunate malady. One of my professors called it “cognate on the brain.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Father Cuthbert Lattey • “The Hebrew MSS”

Father Cuthbert Lattey (d. 1954) wrote: “In a large number of cases the ancient Christian versions and some other ancient sources seem to have been based upon a better Hebrew text than that adopted by the rabbis for official use and alone suffered to survive. Sometimes, too, the cognate languages suggest a suitable meaning for which there is little or no support in the comparatively small amount of ancient Hebrew that has survived. The evidence of the metre is also at times so clear as of itself to furnish a strong argument; often it is confirmed by some other considerations. […] The Jewish copyists and their directors, however, seem to have lost the tradition of the metre at an early date, and the meticulous care of the rabbis in preserving their own official and traditional text (the ‘massoretic’ text) came too late, when the mischief had already been done.” • Msgr. Knox adds: “It seems the safest principle to follow the Latin—after all, St. Jerome will sometimes have had a better text than the Massoretes—except on the rare occasions when there is no sense to be extracted from the Vulgate at all.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Music List” • 9 Nov. (Dedic. Lateran)

Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 9 November 2025, which is the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. 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 sensational feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.

—Jeff Ostrowski

“Reminder” — Month of November (2025)

On a daily basis, I speak to people who don’t realize we publish a free newsletter (although they’ve followed our blog for years). We have no endowment, no major donors, no savings, and refuse to run annoying ads. As a result, our mailing list is crucial to our survival. Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Gospel Options for 2 November (“All Souls”)

We’ve been told some bishops are suppressing the TLM because of “unity.” But is unity truly found in the MISSALE RECENS? For instance, on All Souls (2 November), any of these Gospel readings may be chosen, for any reason (or for no reason at all). The same is true of the Propria Missæ and other readings—there are countless options in the ORDINARY FORM. In other words, no matter which OF parish you attend on 2 November, you’ll almost certainly hear different propers and readings, to say nothing of different ‘styles’ of music. Where is the “unity” in all this? Indeed, the Second Vatican Council solemnly declared: “Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community.”

—Corpus Christi Watershed

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—Jeff Ostrowski