• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

  • Our Team
  • Catholic Hymnal
  • Jogues Missal
  • Site Map
  • Donate
Views from the Choir Loft

Discouragement and Hope

Richard J. Clark · December 15, 2017

HE FEAST of Saint John of the Cross (Dec. 14) brings to mind a fragment of a favorite hymn (text by Charles William Everest): Take up thy cross, and follow Christ, Nor think till death to put it down.

Nor think till death to put it down.

This line is sometimes all I can remember.

DISCOURAGEMENT

Life is filled with unexpected discouragement. So much so, that one must expect it, and be prepared to adapt in order to survive. And working as a musician for the Roman Catholic Church is filled with fully predictable discouragement. The Universal Church is infamous for perpetuating an uphill battle to uphold its own musical and liturgical standards. The very Church that shaped nearly all of Western Music over the course of more than a millennium arguably sold out its musical soul in a few short years—a blink of the eye within its own history.

To compound such a global view, the discouraging news plays out locally quite accordingly. I have learned that no position however high profile or prestigious, no amount of longevity, and no accomplishments no matter how extraordinary render one immune from liturgical, musical, and even pastoral ignorance. Colleagues with decades of experience building up beautiful programs are routinely dismissed in further creative endeavors. I witness colleagues who have suffered physical, no less emotional problems from dysfunctional or even toxic work environments in the Church. Changes in leadership or other aspects of one’s professional environment can lead to serious vulnerability.

But this is life. Everyone deals with it in every profession. And the Church is run by humans as flawed and as sinful as me. It’s a wonder the Church has not imploded despite all its efforts to do so.

Yet the Church survives. Faith not only survives but thrives. That the Church is eternal is perhaps proof enough of the Divine. Is this hope?


HOPE

Despite such a cheerless account, so many musicians remain faithful and loyal servants of the Church throughout a lifetime. They relentlessly persist in making and creating extraordinary beauty in service of God and God alone regardless of challenge. By dogged determination, they will this beauty to come into existence. Despite having their hands tied in various aspects, art for God persists. As a result, prayer persists. Beauty perseveres because they love God and they love the Church. This is hope.

Furthermore, I witness colleagues who are deeply supportive of each other. Why? Because they know no other way. As one great musician said to me, “If we don’t support each other, who will?” This is love. This love breeds hope.

Such hopeful love is infectious. I can always rely on the support of artists—beautiful people who also possess the insight to know the tangible value of beauty.

Despite any moments of discouragement, I can rely on the beauty created by other musicians and artists to elevate my soul. One day may be bleak. But run a choir rehearsal and by the end of it, my spirit is reliably elevated to its highest point. So much so, that I rarely sleep well after a choir rehearsal. I am so energized and filled with joy that sleep is elusive. But hope is not!

I am filled with gratitude, because the love expressed by other musicians who strive for beauty for God, easily overrides the inevitable discouragement and roadblocks one will encounter. We never hope alone. Nor should we delude ourselves that all depends on us. Instead, we are dependent upon God who lifts us us in our darkest moments.


PRAYER

Overcoming discouragement is not just about riding a “high.” Furthermore, prayer is not just about the “buzz.” Prayer must be habitual, relentless, and persistent. Preparing and creating beauty for God is prayer, and prayer is powerful. Prayer is like Simon who helps carry the cross. This power that helps carry the cross is hope.

We each are called to carry a cross. Not that this justifies unjust treatment or enduring an unprofessional environment. However, we are always tested, and as such strengthened to do God’s will at every turn.

To carry a cross out of love for God and for the Church is to proclaim hope. And think not until death to put this hope of Christ down.

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

Subscribe to the CCW Mailing List

Richard J. Clark

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).

Primary Sidebar

Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

4 March 2021 • Can you spare 15 seconds?

Due to Covid-19, California has basically been under “lock down” for 11 months, and these restrictions have had quite a detrimental effect on our choral programs. We are frequently limited to just 2-3 singers, on account of regulations by the government and our Archdiocese. However, although the number of singers is quite small, I was struck by the beauty of the singing last Sunday. Listen to this 15-second live excerpt and see if you agree?

—Jeff Ostrowski
3 March 2021 • “A policeman” — really?

According to Monsignor Frederick R. McManus, there were “policemen” serving the Sanhedrin in the time of Our Blessed Lord. Look at this awful translation in the 1966 “Saint Andrew Bible Missal” from 1966. Yuck!

—Jeff Ostrowski
Surprising Popularity!

One of our most popular downloads has proven to be the organ accompaniment to “The Monastery Hymnal” (131 pages). This book was compiled, arranged, and edited by Achille P. Bragers, who studied at the Lemmensinstituut (Belgium) about thirty years before that school produced the NOH. Bragers might be considered an example of Belgium “Stile Antico” whereas Flor Peeters and Jules Van Nuffel represented Belgium “Prima Pratica.” You can download the hymnal by Bragers at this link.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If I could only make the faithful sing the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Credo, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei…that would be to me the finest triumph sacred music could have, for it is in really taking part in the liturgy that the faithful will preserve their devotion. I would take the Tantum Ergo, the Te Deum, and the Litanies sung by the people over any piece of polyphony.”

— ‘Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Letter to Msgr. Callegari (1897)’

Recent Posts

  • A Beautiful Lenten Hymn • “How It Sounds”
  • Two Recent Talks on the Liturgy
  • 4 March 2021 • Can you spare 15 seconds?
  • Now Online! • “Missale Romanum” (1615 edition)
  • “Ash Wednesday” • Banned by YouTube after 93,000 Views!

Copyright © 2021 Corpus Christi Watershed · Charles Garnier on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.