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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Homily for the 2nd Sunday after Epiphany” (EF) • Father Valentine Young, OFM

Jeff Ostrowski · January 13, 2021

The following is by Father Valentine Young, OFM, a faithful Catholic priest who died on 17 January 2020. It was delivered sometime between 2013 and 2020. To learn more about Father Valentine, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

*  PDF Download • READINGS IN ENGLISH
—Taken from the Saint Edmund Campion Missal [LINK].

ACK in 1981, I observed my 25th anniversary as a priest. At the time, I was stationed at a Navaho Mission in Kayenta, AZ. My younger sister offered to take care of all the arrangements for me to celebrate the occasion at my home parish, Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue, KY. She reserved the school hall for the reception after Mass and did all the work in getting the invitations and other preparations done, including the food, etc.

Today’s Gospel: But for her, it somewhat turned out like today’s Gospel—because a lot more people showed up that she ever expected. She was afraid they were going to run out of food. (I didn’t know anything about this at the time.) She only told me later how she prayed to the Blessed Mother all during the reception that they would not run out. As far as I know, they didn’t run out and it turned out to be a glorious event. The Blessed Mother made sure there was enough food.

Mary and our needs: As we are beginning this New Year it might be good for us to remind ourselves of what an ADVOCATE, or what a ‘provider’ we have in Mary. I might ask you, “When is the last time that you prayed the Memorare?” Do the younger people even know what I am talking about? I’m referring to this prayer:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Learning from Mary: I think it goes without saying that the problems we face today are a lot more serious than not having enough wine for a wedding feast or enough food for a silver jubilee celebration. To me, it is almost ironic that on the one hand our country is enjoying great material prosperity in many respects: Many people have never had it so good. On the other hand, we are living with perhaps one of the biggest political “messes” we have ever experienced. I hesitated to use that word (mess) to describe our political situation, but my limited vocabulary doesn’t enable me to think of any other word to describe the current political situation. If anyone has a more polite word to describe this, please let me know.

Mary is still with us: And yet I feel Mary is still with us, provided we do what she told the CHIEF STEWARD to do. She told him to do whatever Jesus told him to do. And that is what she is telling us. And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know what that is: It’s right in front of you. It is doing the next right thing that God puts in front of you to do. It is doing that next right extra thing that God may be inspiring you to do, like that extra Mass during the week, that extra Holy Hour, that extra rosary, that extra fasting and/or act of penance.

Conclusion: I may not like or even agree with the idea of people wanting to enter our country in an illegal way. And yet I have to feel sorry for them for having to live in circumstances which seem to be forcing them to be doing this. And one question I cannot answer is: why have I been so blessed and spared such hardships? I didn’t do anything to deserve it. I do think God is expecting something ‘extra’ from those of us so blessed. Ask Mary to inspire you as to what you can do to show your gratitude and maybe also be able to help others in the process. +

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Valentine Young SERMON, Wedding Feast Cana Last Updated: January 21, 2021

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    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
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

The local church should be conscious that church worship is not really the same as what we sing in a bar, or what we sing in a convention for youth.

— Francis Cardinal Arinze (2005)

Recent Posts

  • “How to Conduct 90 Vespers Services Each Year and Live to Tell the Tale.”
  • 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • The Tallis Scholars
  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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