ENRI GHÉON tells the story of SAINT JOHN MARY VIANNEY visiting a child who lay bedridden—one open sore from head to foot, without a moment’s rest—with no hope on this earth. “You are in great suffering, my poor child?” asked the curé, bending over him. “No,” he answered, “today I feel not yesterday’s pain, and tomorrow I shall not feel today’s.” Father Vianney pressed him: “You would very much like to be cured?” The child responded: “No; I was sinful before I fell ill; I might fall back into that. I’m safer as I am.” Vianney later declared: “Children so indwelt by the Holy Spirit put us to shame…”
Today I Feel Not Yesterday’s Pain • Some men spend their entire life seeking comfort and pleasure. But Archbishop Sheen always spoke about something he called: The Last “And Then.” Consider a conversation with a teenage boy. You ask him what he’d like to do. “I want to succeed in school.” And then? “I want to become a doctor.” And then? “Make money.” And then? “Get married.” And then? “Have children.” And then? “Be happy.” And then? “See my children grow up.” And then? “Grow old, watching my children succeed.” There comes a last and then.
Those Who Pretend • As I already said, some people spend their whole life in pursuit of comfort. Others devote hours each day to arguing with strangers on the internet. But eventually, they will die—and they’ll face their creator. As the DIES IRAE puts it so beautifully: “Líber scríptus proferétur, in quo tótum continétur, únde múndus judicétur.” At the hour of judgment, they’ll wish they hadn’t spent their life seeking pleasure. Some people pretend not to understand Fulton Sheen’s Last “And Then.” However, I personally believe everyone (deep down) understands it—whether they admit it or not.
Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (1 of 4) • We must offer our lives to God. Each morning, before looking at your iPhone, make your daily offering. Offer up all your joys and sufferings. You can even offer up ‘mundane’ things like brushing your teeth. And we can serve God in various ways. One way is by singing holy music—and Gregorian Chant can lead you to holiness.
Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (2 of 4) • Sometimes, the beauty and purity of CARMEN GREGORIANUM take some effort to appreciate. (The same is true of many other things in this world.) Gregorian Chant sung well is utterly mesmerizing, utterly hypnotic, and utterly peaceful. It can call to mind the purity of Almighty God. It can help us pray. I believe that singing Gregorian Chant is a holy activity. It’s amazing how certain passages can stick in one’s mind, even after decades have elapsed.
Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (3 of 4) • I woke up this morning with a tune in my head. It comes from HOLY SATURDAY (Sabbato Sancto), and I don’t know any passage more beautiful. At the end of this article, I attempted to record that section. See if you agree it would not be wrong to label it as: Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds.
Gregorian Chant’s Best 42 Seconds (4 of 4) • In our current situation, many Catholics have never heard Gregorian Chant. Far too often, the plainsong they have heard is not sung well. Rather than singing a 20-minute TRACT or lengthy RESPONSORY, English adaptations can help “pave the way” towards an appreciation for plainsong. Below is the Entrance Chant we will sing on 1 September 2024, which is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time:
* PDF Download • ENTRANCE CHANT (Singer’s Score)
* PDF Download • ENTRANCE CHANT (Organ Accompaniment)
Promises Kept • As I promised, the following is my attempt to sing a wonderful passage from HOLY SATURDAY. See if you agree its 42 seconds are hauting—especially the “enim” melisma:
A translation of what I sang on that video:
Exodus 14:1 • Then Moses and the children
of Israel sang this canticle to the Lord: Let
us sing to the Lord: so great He is and so
glorious; horse and rider hurled into the sea!
