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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

Liturgy vs. Social Justice

Fr. David Friel · August 31, 2014

F YOU PRAYED MATINS yesterday morning (Saturday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time), you read a passage from St. John Chrysostom that might have made you feel uneasy. Anyone reading this post is presumably a lover of liturgy, and Chrysostom’s words could easily, at first, appear like a challenge to liturgy lovers.

The passage is from a homily on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25 (“Whatever you did to the least of My brethren, you did unto Me”). In the first paragraph of the selection, Chrysostom launches his first salvo: “What we do here in the church requires pure heart, not special garments. God does not want golden vessels, but golden hearts.” Fair enough, we say. It is agreed that the sacrifice of a humble, contrite heart is more essential than ecclesiastical finery. But, we would eagerly add, beauty in the liturgy—from architecture, to music, to vestments—is not merely superfluous. Not only is it integral to the sacred liturgy, but it is also essential for the health of the human soul.

Chrysostom would not disagree. He continues:

Now, in saying this I am not forbidding you to make such gifts; I am only demanding that, along with such gifts and before them, you give alms. God accepts the former, but He is much more pleased with the latter. In the former, only the giver profits; in the latter, the recipient does, too. A gift to the church may be taken as a form of ostentation, but an alms is pure kindness.

So often, the impression is given that there are sides to be taken, as though it were impossible to share an interest in both liturgy & social justice. Many who work with the poor are sharply critical of those who live in the realm of “impractical” things such as sacred music. Conversely, if we’re honest, there are many liturgists who are too quick to accuse those in the trenches of social advocacy of irreverence and disinterest toward divine worship. Need these things be pitted one against the other? Are they really such entirely separate domains?

Chrysostom speaks strongly about the moral duty to serve Christ in the poor:

Of what use is it to weigh down Christ’s table with golden cups, when He, Himself, is dying of hunger? First, fill Him when He is hungry; then use the means you have left to adorn His table. Will you have a golden cup made but not give a cup of water? What is the use of providing the table with cloths woven of gold thread, and not providing Christ, Himself, with the clothes He needs? . . . What if you were to see Him clad in worn-out rags and stiff from the cold, and were to forget about clothing Him and instead were to set up golden columns for Him, saying that you were doing it in His honor? Would He not think He was being mocked and greatly insulted?

No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbor a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demon. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.

We Catholics ought not to apologize for building beautiful churches or celebrating grand liturgies; the Catholic Church ought rather to be thanked for contributing these humanizing gifts to the world. Nor should the Church apologize for her missionary efforts to serve the underprivileged; she ought instead to be esteemed for the immeasurable aid given to the poor and suffering day after day throughout the world through the auspices of Catholic parishes, institutions, and associations.

As with so many aspects of theology, the best Catholic approach here is not one of “either/or” but one of “both/and.” Beautify the liturgy, yes, but also serve the poor. Work for social justice, to be sure, and also render to God the best of everything. These things are not incompatible. As my fellow blogger, Richard Clark, has written, it is not hypocritical for a parish to be both reverent and welcoming. Similarly, being a proponent of beautiful liturgy and being an advocate for true social justice are not mutually exclusive realities. In fact, it is hard for me to imagine the one not naturally leading to the other.

The words of St. John Chrysostom are challenging. They might serve as a good examination of conscience for folks invested in the careful celebration of the sacred rites. Am I as committed to serving the poor as I am to celebrating the liturgy?

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Liturgy Wars, reverent and welcoming 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

    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
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“In case of urgent danger of life anyone may baptize, even a heretic or pagan. It is sufficient that he administer the essential matter and form and have the implicit intention of doing what Christ instituted. Naturally a Catholic must be preferred, if possible. A man is preferred to a woman; but anyone else to the parents.”

— Father Adrian Fortescue (1917)

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