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Views from the Choir Loft

As the Tension Grows

Richard J. Clark · March 18, 2016

GREAT BLESSING of daily Mass is the continuity from one Sunday to the next. Especially as each major season comes to a close, there are premonitions of the Feast and season to come. This is true as Ordinary Time approaches Advent. It is clearly obvious during Advent. Furthermore, the end of the Easter Season brings frequent reminders that Jesus will send another Advocate.

As Holy Week approaches, the tension is palpable. Each reading from John’s Gospel this past week foretells what is to come. It is no longer a secret that many want to kill Him. Many challenge Him. Meanwhile, Jesus speaks with authority of the relationship with His Father: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father has taught me.” (John 8:28)

John’s Gospel then continues: “Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in Him.” However, the converse is also true: Because he spoke this way, many sought to kill Him.

Jesus redeems us all, suffering as one who is fully human, and fully vulnerable. Likewise, the blood of martyrs continues to spill today in our world. In a recent statement honoring the “Martyrs of Charity”, the USCCB describes that because they lived this way—the way of divine mercy—these four Sisters of Charity were put to death. The statement begins:

“Caring for the aging and dying is an act of love and mercy. Giving totally of oneself to serve the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters is an act of courageous faith. Thus, it is always a great sorrow when such acts of mercy lead to martyrdom.”

You can read the full statement here.

What we celebrate during Holy Week is not only a reminder of what Jesus suffered, it is a reminder that our Redeemer lives today as witnessed by the suffering of so many.

As the tension in the world grows, so does our faith, so does Jesus’ active presence in our lives. So must our sung prayer be that much more directed toward Jesus and His Father who sent him.

Soli Deo gloria

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 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).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

It is clear the Church is facing a grave crisis. Under the name of “the new Church” and “the post-conciliar Church,” a different Church from that of Jesus Christ is now trying to establish itself: an anthropocentric society threatened with imminent apostasy which is allowing itself to be swept along in a movement of general abdication under the pretext of renewal, ecumenicism, or adaptation.

— Cardinal Henri de Lubac (29 August 1967)

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