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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

A Triptych on Mercy • Reflection I

Fr. David Friel · November 6, 2016

HE EXTRAORDINARY Jubilee Year of Mercy comes to a close on Sunday, November 20, 2016. This year has been an opportunity for the Church universal to reflect more deeply on what Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina is God’s greatest attribute. One significant thing that the experience of this Jubilee has revealed to me is that many people—in the Church and outside the Church—do not truly understand the meaning of Christian mercy. There is work to be done, in terms of both evangelization and catechesis.

To conclude this Year of Mercy, therefore, I am posting a trilogy of reflections, which I hope will be both spiritual and practical. Today marks the first installment, and the next two reflections will appear on the coming two Sundays.

Without any pretense that these reflections will be exhaustive, I plan to reflect on three topics: the meaning of mercy, the need for mercy, and the beauty of mercy.

My hope is that these thoughts will serve to elucidate the true nature of mercy and help to seal the graces of this Year of Mercy in those who read them.

My life story is not particularly interesting. It follows a rather predictable pattern. I was born & raised Catholic, went to school, entered the seminary, and became a parish priest. There are a few twists and turns, but nothing major.

Sometimes, to be honest, I wish I had a “better” story to tell. Why? Because, like many people, I like listening to stories about terrible sinners who reform their ways and start responding to God’s grace. It’s inspiring to hear about people who were in the grips of addiction before finding God. It’s fascinating to hear about people who left their faith or had no faith before converting to become Catholic.

My story isn’t “interesting” like those kinds of stories, where the person is caught in such an extreme situation that God has to show them incredible mercy. In reality, though, people with “exciting” stories are not the only people who have stories to tell about God’s mercy.

God’s mercy, after all, is not just about bringing wild sinners back from their errant ways. In fact, God’s mercy is just as vibrant in my story as it is in even the wildest story of a sinner come home. How so?

It was the mercy of God by which I was born healthy.

It was by God’s mercy that I have a good family.

It was by God’s mercy that I received a good education.

It was by God’s mercy that I was called to the priesthood.

It is by God’s mercy that I woke up this morning.

It is by God’s mercy that I have a place to live and food to eat and money to spend.

At every step of my life’s journey, the mercy of God has been deeply at work.

This should tell us something about the meaning of mercy. Mercy refers not only to God’s power to forgive. Mercy is broader than that.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word that is most often translated as “mercy” is the word hesed. Hesed could also be translated as “loving-kindness,” or even “loyalty.” It is more about kindness than strictly about forgiveness, although forgiveness is certainly part of God’s extraordinary kindness. Hesed is not a mood; it is not a feeling; it is a deep disposition of the heart. This type of loving-kindness is an essential part of Who God is—indeed, it is His greatest attribute.

We see this usage of the word “mercy” at several points throughout the Mass. One of the most beautiful prayers we pray in every Mass is the prayer that immediately follows the Our Father, the Libera Nos, Domine. Read this very familiar prayer again:

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of Your mercy, we may be always free from sin.

This prayer does not envision God’s mercy simply as a corrective for our sins. Rather, this prayer recognizes that God’s mercy is also at work when we are kept free from sin. This is one of the most important reasons we should go to confession: so that God can not only forgive our sins, but also, in His mercy, preserve us from sin going forward.

Our stories—your story & my story—need not be flashy or dramatic or “interesting.” We do not have to be world-class sinners in order to experience God’s mercy. The simple fact that we exist is a testament to God’s mercy. The fact that we are breathing means that we are experiencing God’s mercy here and now.

The truly “interesting” life story is the story of one who accepts God’s merciful kindness and allows that experience to transform one’s life.

Part 1 • The Meaning of Mercy

Part 2 • The Need for Mercy

Part 3 • The Beauty of Mercy

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 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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President’s Corner

    PDF Download • “Offertory” for this Sunday
    This coming Sunday, 12 October 2025, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Its OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (PDF) is gorgeous, and comes from the book of Esther, as did the ENTRANCE CHANT last Sunday. Depending on a variety of factors, various hand-missals (all with Imprimatur) translate this passage differently. For instance, “príncipis” can be rendered: King; Prince; Lion; or Fierce lord. None is “more correct” than another. It depends on what each translator wants to emphasize and which source text is chosen. All these pieces of plainsong are conveniently stored at the blue-ribbon feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Why A “Fugue” Here?
    I believe I know why this plainsong harmonizer created a tiny fugue as the INTRODUCTION to his accompaniment. Take a look (PDF example) and tell me your thoughts about what he did on the feast of the Flight of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Egypt (17 February). And now I must go because “tempus fugit” as they say!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In chronological order, [Dom Pierre Combe] traces the Gregorian reform from its beginnings under Dom Guéranger in 1833, to the problems of the Vatican Commission on Sacred Music in the first decade of the 20th century. As one reads the topic headings and development of their content, one wonders how such an innocent and un-warlike subject such as Gregorian chant could have been the focal point of such an intense and continuing battle among scholars and churchmen for so many decades.”

— Dr. Theodore Marier (1968)

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