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Views from the Choir Loft

“Let’s Not” . . . a small moment of reverence

Veronica Moreno · March 11, 2020

T IS ALWAYS THE SAME RESPONSE: “The Reverence.” When asked why we started going to the Traditional Latin Mass, we have a hard time putting this idea of “reverence” into words.

When holy priests celebrate the Ordinary Form to the best of their abilities, it is often very difficult to describe the difference in “reverence” when comparing it to the Extraordinary Form. But I think it’s in the custody of the eyes. It is hard to explain the contrast in “reverence” when there are no liturgical abuses or extreme examples of silliness. To our curious friends, we explain further, concede, and then qualify by adding that there is “more reverence” at the Extraordinary Form. We double down for emphasis, “It’s hard to describe, but there is a different kind of reverence.”

Here is a small moment to highlight that difference. Cardinal Dolan celebrating without any liturgical abuse, a deacon making a tiny mistake, parishoners adjusting. Technically nothing “wrong” with any of this according to the Ordinary Form. But why does this short video stop me in my tracks and make me feel despondent?

As I wrote this brief note today, Fr. David Friel posted this quote about custodia occulorum:

“By the raising of the eyes,
the celebrant, following the example
of our divine Lord, more expressly
directs his prayer of offering,
thanks, or petition to God;
and so his eyes are to be raised…
to the image of the Crucified.”

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

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: March 11, 2020

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Veronica Moreno

About Veronica Moreno

Veronica Moreno is married to a teacher and homeschools five children. She has been cantor at her local Catholic parish for over a decade.—(Read full biography).

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20 January 2021 • REMINDER

We have no savings, no endowment, and no major donors. You can help us (please) by subscribing to our mailing list. It’s incredibly easy; just scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address. Thank you!

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 January 2021 • Confusion over feasts

For several months, we have discussed the complicated history of the various Christmas feasts: the Baptism of the Lord, the feast of the Holy Family, the Epiphany, and so forth. During a discussion, someone questioned my assertion that in some places Christmas had been part of the Epiphany. As time went on, of course, the Epiphany came to represent only three “manifestations” (Magi, Cana, Baptism), but this is not something rigid. For example, if you look at this “Capital E” from the feast of the Epiphany circa 1350AD, you can see it portrays not three mysteries but four—including PHAGIPHANIA when Our Lord fed the 5,000. In any event, anyone who wants proof the Epiphany used to include Christmas can read this passage from Dom Prosper Guéranger.

—Jeff Ostrowski
6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“In older times we referred to humans as the human race, but according to this foundation we are being classed with the animals on the farm, the cow, the horse, the mule […] According to this foundation, I have no right to be born, for I am the youngest of 16 children, and God bless my mother for every one of them!”

— Archbishop Schrembs (d. 1945) vs. a foundation promoting artificial contraception

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