HE CHRISTIAN—unlike the secular media—does not regard death as “the ultimate evil.” Each of us must die, and to die well is the most important thing we can do. Indeed, dying in the state of grace is the only thing that matters. Faithful Catholics revere SPIRITUAL GIANTS like Saint John Mary Vianney and Saint Isaac Jogues, who performed heavy penances every moment of their lives. The saints (in a certain sense) yearned for death—for a variety of reasons. Death for them meant the end of heavy penances. Death for them meant the beginning of eternal bliss, the beginning of the BEATIFIC VISION. Here’s a brief excerpt from the life of Saint John de Brébeuf:
In addition to the spiritual exercises prescribed by the Society, Father Brébeuf performed many other devotions and penances, and was careful to do so in as great privacy as possible. “To the continual sufferings,” wrote his spiritual director, “which are inseparable from the duties which he had in the missions, on the journeys, in whatever place he was—and to those which charity caused him to embrace; often above his strength, although below his courage—he added many voluntary mortifications … and after all these, his heart could not be satiated with sufferings, and he believed that he had never endured aught.”
My Colleagues • Here at Corpus Christi Watershed, we realize how weak and sinful we are. We realize our penances are pathetic compared to what the saints did. Each day, we strive to “call to mind” or “remember” or “embrace” the reality that we’ll be held accountable before God for every second of our life, every breathe we took, every beat of our heart. Because of this, we try to avoid blogging about church scandals—even though scandalmongering is a superb way to amass ‘clicks’ and web hits. Instead, we try to offer items that are positive. The following is an example of something “positive” we try to offer the Church. It’s the ENTRANCE CHANT for this coming Sunday (13-OCT-2024) in English.
* PDF Download • Singer’s Score (Treble Clef)
* PDF Download • ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT (2 Pages)
Renewal of Challenge • In many recent articles, I’ve been recommending the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal. I believe this book is indispensable for any serious Catholic choirmaster. (I certainly couldn’t run my choral program without it.) I don’t use the “P-word” word lightly, but I’m comfortable calling the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL peerless. Indeed, one of the main authors for the Church Music Association of America weblog declared (6/10/2022) that the BRÉBEUF HYMNAL “has no parallel and not even any close competitor.” For years, I’ve been searching for a qualified partner willing to debate this assertion over zoom. Today—10 October 2024—I respectfully renew my challenge. Our website garners millions of hits, but so far nobody has accepted my challenge.
