OU HAVE PROBABLY heard the phrase: “I’m only human.” Sometimes this phrase pops in my head when I enter a Catholic Church. We believe the Blessed Sacrament to be the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. In approximately 153AD, Justin Martyr wrote: “The food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer is both the flesh and the blood of the incarnated Jesus.” The Church teaches that the SANCTISSIMUM is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Who holds the universe in His hands. But have you ever seen someone—when they arrive at the church—looking around (as their very first act) to see who else is in attendance? Have we ourselves done this? How dare we do such a thing? Shouldn’t all our attention be on the Lord? For that matter, since we believe our Lord is present, how dare we ever leave? Some justify such actions with: “Ah, well … we’re only human.” But it’s something to think about.
Congregational Singing • The Mass should be completely centered toward God. On the other hand, we know the Church (beginning about 100 years ago) has been asking for stronger efforts toward congregational singing. My daughter and I recently had the opportunity to record individual rehearsal videos for what I consider an exemplary hymn:
Extraordinary Form • For the last 12 years, my family has been blessed to attend the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. But that doesn’t mean I hold congregational singing in contempt; far from it. I believe it’s a wonderful thing, when it’s done well. Hymns like “Faith Of Our Fathers” really help in that regard.
My Experience • For twenty (20) years, I was a CANTRIX in charge of leading the song at a “lower middle-class” Ordinary Form parish. I always made sure Faith Of Our Fathers was included in the rotation. The people love it. And I love it. And congregations sing this hymn with gusto.
