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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

Resurgam and the Month of All Souls

Fr. David Friel · November 22, 2020

ITHIN the Church, we dedicate the whole month of November to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Naturally, prayer for the Holy Souls is appropriate throughout the year, but it is especially so during this month. In addition to offering Masses and praying novenas for the Holy Souls, members of the Church traditionally make a special effort to visit the graves of their deceased relatives during November. Time has not yet run out this year, if you haven’t yet had the opportunity.

The theme of All Souls has been very present in my mind over the last few weeks. In particular, I have been drawn back to the poems by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), the reclusive poet from Amherst who wrote an immense number of poems on the theme of death.

I’ve reflected before on several poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins (here and here). I’d like to share two Dickinson poems with you today.

Few of Dickinson’s poems have titles. Among those that do, the titles have very often been applied by editors, not by the author, herself. The first poem I would like to present here has a crisp title that helps to reveal its meaning. This is poem number XXIX in Dickinson’s first series.

Resurgam
At last to be identified!
At last, the lamps upon thy side,
The rest of life to see!
Past midnight, past the morning star!
Past sunrise! Ah! what leagues there are
Between our feet and day! 1

Here we have a description of the moment when glory dawns upon the departed soul. It is at this moment that the soul feels “identified,” as though for the very first time. Now is the time when the soul becomes capable of seeing “the rest of life.” It becomes apparent, as never before, “what leagues there are” between earthly and heavenly existence.

What strikes me most in these verses is the speaker’s sense of hope and ability to describe the utter newness of eternity. One senses that the scope and beauty and freshness of heavenly life is delightful to the speaker, even if its full grandeur lies somewhat beyond the powers of description.

The second poem I share with you today has no title, but it is number XXXI in her first series.

Death is a dialogue between
The spirit and the dust.
“Dissolve,” says Death. The Spirit, “Sir,
I have another trust.”

Death doubts it, argues from the ground.
The Spirit turns away,
Just laying off, for evidence,
An overcoat of clay. 2

This poem is remarkable for its use of contrast and metaphor. Its greatness, however, lies in the grand reversal it conveys. The seeming finality of death is not so firm as the “dust” would have us believe. On the contrary, the “spirit” is stalwart when confronted with the vapid empiricism of death. The spirit testifies that those who have died are not consigned to tragic dissolution. They possess, rather, “another trust.”

We Christians do, indeed, bear “another trust.” As the masterful preface from the Requiem Mass puts it, for the faithful Christian, vita mutatur, non tollitur. Life is changed, not ended.


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (Pantianos Classics, 2016), 35.

2   Dickinson, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, 36.

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

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Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: November 24, 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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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “What Martin Luther Said…”
    My pastor asked me to write little columns for the bulletin each week. The article for 20 July 2025 has been posted, and it’s called: “What Luther Said…” Martin Luther (an ex-priest and apostate) was an infamous heretic whose ignorance of JESUS CHRIST was only exceeded by his filthy and disgusting vulgarity.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 15th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (13 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 propers for this Sunday are also provided at the the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —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

Let us ponder the incontrovertible fact that Eucharistic Adoration in the Ordinary Form (“Novus Ordo”) is always and everywhere celebrated “ad orientem.” Why, then, is there such opposition to Mass being celebrated in that way, which is actually stipulated by the 1970 Missal rubrics?

— A Benedictine Monk (2013)

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