WONDER WHY people think I’m too pessimistic about the situation of liturgical music. The problem is not Novus or Vetus Ordo; the problem is that the standard has changed. I will always remember one of my venerated teachers telling me that—of course—in the past also they were doing weird things in Church. Chronicles also exist which tell us about some strange music performed during the liturgy.
But what was the difference? There was a standard commonly accepted, so what was strange and “out of place” was perceived as such. Today it’s not. Today everything can be accepted because competence and good skills are replaced, in the eyes of up-to-date pastoral ministers with good intentions. I’ve already mentioned on many occasions the common sense of people saying that hell is paved with good intentions.
I am optimist in one sense; that we have the energy, resources, and talents to make the liturgy as splendid as it deserves. But my optimism turns to pessimism when I recognize that all these energies, resources, and talents—because of the lack of discernment—are basically flowing in a vacuum.
More articles by Aurelio Porfiri can be found on The Castaway.
