Views from the Choir Loft

When the Liturgy Astounds • The Fire of Divine Love

Richard J. Clark · March 11, 2016

Y HEART IS bursting with love for my children, sometimes to a degree that it is painful. This may not be rational. But it goes with the lifetime of worry for the wellbeing of one’s child. But more interestingly, it is a love so great that I find the intensity of such emotion to be too great at times.

If God feels this way about us, we cannot conceive of what things he has in store for us. It is difficult for us to imagine that we are even worthy of such love. Oculus non vidit…

This is what the liturgy does. It is designed to receive all of our emotions from grief and loneliness to a heart bursting—or yearning for love. God has placed this yearning within us, something so well expressed in Divine Worship. The liturgy has the ability to astound us.

Here is an example from the Third Sunday of Lent (Year A and for those celebrating the First Scrutiny):

“For when he asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink,
He had already created the gift of faith within her
And so ardently did he thirst for her faith, that he kindled in her the fire of divine love.”

I found these words to be jaw dropping—utterly astounding. What Jesus did for the Samaritan woman, he does for us. He wants us to have faith and helps us to the ends of the earth to have this faith.

This is a time of intense preparation for church musicians. It is difficult to be spiritually present at all times because of great attention to detail. But we are mindful that preparation itself is prayer. That preparation is an act of great love. It is a fire of Divine Love that God has placed within us.

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

About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

Our choir is on break during the month of July. However, on the feasts website, the chants have been posted for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), which is this coming Sunday: 6 July 2025.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)

With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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