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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

The Dawkins Delusion

Fr. David Friel · August 11, 2013

OU CAN TELL SOMETHING about the times in which you live by the people who are famous. It doesn’t tell you everything, but it tells you something. In our day, people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have become household names. Most people have at least heard of them or seen them interviewed on TV. You may have even read a book by one of them. Hitchens is deceased now, but they both wrote a number of books. Dawkins’ most popular book, which is called The God Delusion, has sold million of copies in over 30 languages.

Both of these men are professed atheists who work in what they consider to be the cutting edge of science and evolution. The fundamental premise Dawkins uses in dismissing religion is this: he says that no one talks about “faith” when there is evidence at hand. For example, it doesn’t take faith to say that two and two are four or that the earth is round, because there’s empirical evidence for both. According to Dawkins, we only speak about faith when we want to substitute emotion in place of evidence. Just by looking at Dawkins and Hitchens, I think we can see that our modern age is filled with many attempts to belittle faith, as though we “sophisticated” people of the 21st century are somehow too grown up, too mature for a silly thing like faith.

When friends and coworkers question us about our faith, do we have a leg to stand on? Is there anything that can reasonably be said that might challenge an atheistic worldview? The Church throughout the world is still in the midst of celebrating the “Year of Faith,” so a quick look at the Scriptural definition of “faith” is appropriate. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read that “faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith, according to Scripture, is our evidence—the evidence Dawkins believes we substitute with mere emotion. When we are questioned about our faith, we shouldn’t be afraid. Faith and reason are not incompatible; in fact, they’re actually inseparable. We should be proud to profess our faith as Catholics, because we do, indeed, have a leg to stand on.

Just as one example, and perhaps most importantly, we should remember that the Blessed Mother, Mary Magdalene, and St. John all saw Jesus die on the cross. They were really standing right there. They were eye-level with the wounds in His feet. They watched Him die, and they carried Him to a tomb. Those same people, three days later, saw Him alive again. It was really Him, and He was alive enough to eat breakfast with them. And this was all written down, recorded for us in what we now call the Gospels. Ten of the original Twelve Apostles then gave their lives in defense of that Gospel. That’s all pretty empirical. There could be no greater proof of Jesus’ divinity than the Resurrection. And, if Jesus is divine, then everything else He said must be true, because God could never deceive. So we do have evidence, and that evidence is called faith.

This whole demand for evidence, though, is by its nature a bit bizarre. Since the so-called “Enlightenment” of the 17th & 18th centuries, many modern people have lived with an insatiable demand for evidence and proof. Everything is subjected to the verification principle: if I can’t hold it up and study it and prove it, it must not be true.

But what room does that leave for the great intangibles of life? Can anyone grab hold of love and prove it to somebody? Is it possible to subject joy to a scientific study? Can peace be put under a microscope? Of course not. But we profess our faith in God, Who is maker “of all things visible and invisible,” and it is these invisible realities that are the most important things of life! They may not be able to be verified, but it would be exceedingly rare to find someone who could deny the existence of things like justice & friendship & beauty.

There’s a certain irony in the modern age. On the one hand, we look to famous people like Dawkins and Hitchens and we see staunch atheism—the complete absence of faith. Then, on the other hand, we see people who are motivated by faith and inspired by the great things of life, like love & joy & peace. We look at famous people like Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein and Oscar Romero, and we see that there were more martyrs in the 20th century than ever before in the history of the Church. Martyrdom, after all, is the supreme act of loyalty to one’s faith. It is amazing that, in the same age, there are people who live on such different wavelengths.

We have the option to end up with the faithful or with the faithless. It is important to remember that faith is a gift. We can’t get faith by working hard. We can’t get it by studying a lot. Nor can we force it upon our friends or children. It is a supernatural gift that we either accept or reject. May we find strength in our faith as the “evidence of things not seen,” and may we remain true to it till death!

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

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 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

    “The Worm That Dieth Not”
    My pastor asked me to write a column for our parish bulletin with reflections on the sacred liturgy and church music. In my most recent article, I discuss “The Worm That Dieth Not.” At this website, you can access it conveniently; simply scroll down to the one dated 31 August 2025.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    A Nice Hymn In Spanish
    In my humble opinion, this is a really beautiful hymn in Spanish. If I practice diligently, I’ll be able to pronounce all the words properly. If you’re someone who’s interested in obtaining a melody only version (suitable for your congregational ORDER OF WORSHIP) you can steal that from this.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 21st in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Our choir returns on Sunday, 24 August 2025. Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for it, which is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the spectacular feasts website. When it comes to the feast of the Assumption (15 August 2025), I have uploaded the music list for that Mass—but not the “bi-lingual” Mass in the evening (Spanish, Latin, and English) which has completely different music.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Solemn “Salve Regina” (Chant)
    How many “S” words can you think of using alliteration? How about Schwann Solemn Salve Score? You can download the SOLEMN SALVE REGINA in Gregorian Chant. The notation follows the official rhythm (EDITIO VATICANA). Canon Jules Van Nuffel, choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, composed this accompaniment for it (although some feel it isn’t his best work).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    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

Random Quote

“Johann Baptist Singenberger (d. 1924) held in trust a letter from Pius X giving him permission to use men and women in his festival choirs. He neither published it nor used it, lest he embarrass the Holy Father.”

— Monsignor Francis P. Schmitt (August 1957)

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