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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

Not “What” but “Why” is Fascinating

Richard J. Clark · March 17, 2017

HE ROMAN RITE is a fascinating area of study. There are centuries upon centuries of history. There are multiple forms of the Rite, plus numerous rites that are in union with Rome. The options and variations related to the Novus Ordo alone are often a challenge to keep up with, but fascinating nonetheless.

Some people are put off by this. Some are bored to tears. I am fascinated. Why? Possibly there is something terribly wrong with me. Or, perhaps it is because the Church, in her infinite wisdom of the ages, has given us gift of the Mass which is something we can grow with during our entire lives.

It is like a great piece of music or great literature. As we mature, our understanding of the music or art grows. We gain additional insight from it. And so it is with the Mass, our greatest prayer.

Now, keeping track of all the rubrics, and the liturgical calendar, etc., etc., can be a bit much. We can handle it by being dismissive of it all, and simply say, “They don’t matter.” “There’s no point.” I don’t blame others for not finding this topic interesting. God calls us to be interested in different things.

We may learn “what” we are supposed to say, sing, wear, move, etc. during a given Mass. But what I find fascinating is the “why.”

Why are we worshiping God in the first place? God has no need of our worship, yet it is important for us to not only do so, but to center our lives around worship. Why are certain external movements or words important? God has no need for externals and expressed as much in Matthew 15. But they have something to do with the formation of what is internal, which is also impressed upon us in Matthew 15. This is fascinating.

This is an endless topic that cannot be addressed fully here. Of course it can’t. It is a beautiful pursuit of a lifetime.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Sacramentum Caritatis, no. 14:

The Church’s ability to ‘make’ the Eucharist is completely rooted in Christ’s self-gift to her…We too, at every celebration of the Eucharist, confess the primacy of Christ’s gift..the priority of the fact that it was Christ who loved us ‘first.’ For all eternity he remains the one who loves us first.”

Timothy P. O’Malley’s commentary on Benedict’s words are passionate:

”In this sense, our participation in the sacrifice of the Mass is a return gift of love offered to the God who made the first move of love toward us…He loves us first, and he loved us unto the end, dying upon the cross as a supreme act of love. And he still loves us, drawing us closer to his side.” (Bored Again Catholic, How the Mass Could Save Your Life, Pg. 31.)

HE MASS IS SUCH A JEWEL, that we can grow into it throughout our lives. The opportunity is simply there for the taking: if we give God all our love and devotion, offer Him our best, and return to God what He gave us first—His love.

Jesus’ love for us is a start to understanding every single “why.”

AMDG

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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Jeff’s Mother Joins Our Fundraiser
    To assist our fundraiser, Mrs. Kathleen Ostrowski has drawn several beautiful sketches which she offers to all our readers free of charge. If you have a moment, I invite you download them at this link.
    —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

“Worse, composers are now setting the introits of the missal [instead of the Graduale] to music, even to chant, though these texts were explicitly for spoken recitation only.”

— ‘Dr. William Mahrt (Fall, 2015)’

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