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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

Sing Everything From the Viewpoint of the Resurrection

Richard J. Clark · April 7, 2017

T IS QUITE POSSIBLE the best thing to happen to me is to understand my own mortality. Birthdays at my age will do that. The physical, mental, and emotional challenge of caring for young children will do that. Failure and uncertainty will do that. We are but dust and to dust we shall return. For me at least, it is way past time to repent and believe in the Gospel. This is a gift of Ash Wednesday.

Facing mortality may wake us up to what God wishes for us: The gift of Christ’s sacrifice is the ultimate show of love, for he wants us to share in his eternal life—where death has no dominion. “…the love of God doesn’t end in death. It goes beyond it. Death is no hindrance to the love of God.” (Peter G. van Breemen, SJ, As Bread That Is Broken, pg.169)

OLY WEEK is upon us. Now, in these last days of Lent, the tension in the daily Gospels is palpable. There is no question Jesus will suffer horrifically and die. Peter van Breemen states, “The Gospel should be read from the viewpoint of the resurrection because that is the way it was written.“ (As Bread That Is Broken, pg.167) Central to our faith is the Resurrection. We know this intellectually. We profess this. But music has has power to describe the indescribable and speak the ineffable. That is what our choirs must do this Holy Week.

Most especially during Holy Week, sacred song and prayer become indistinguishable (although this is always our goal!) How does this happen? The period of Lent prepares us in unexpected ways. Take for example, Jesus’ Transfiguration on the second Sunday of Lent. God shows us as he really is—something beyond our human comprehension. Christ’s revelation in the Transfiguration is echoed in the communion antiphon on August 6th—the Feast of the Transfiguration: “When Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

This is truly God’s wish for us—to see him as he IS, which in turn reveals just how much God truly loves us. From the familiar text of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

HIS HOLY WEEK especially, we must sing everything from the viewpoint of the resurrection, of God’s overpowering love. This includes the emotional roller coaster of Palm Sunday. This includes the confusion the disciples feel of Christ’s example in washing their feet. This includes the suffering of Good Friday, for Good Friday brings us the greatest hope of all. For death has no power over God, and God wants the same for us.

Your choir’s preparation for Holy Week has been a great prayer. This week, your song and prayer will be indistinguishable. Sing with great joy and hope. Christ’s love is more than you can bear.

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 Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Corn” From Heaven?
    The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures was produced by Roman Catholics in England and bears an IMPRIMATUR dated 15 March 1958 by the Archbishop of Westminster. Its IMPRIMI POTEST was given by the director of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Sometimes the words chosen by translators can sound funny to American ears. For instance, one of our Responsorial Psalms has as its refrain: “The Lord gave them bread from heaven.” But the British version has “The Lord gave them corn from heaven.” Feel free to examine this with your own eyes. (It comes from Psalm 77.)
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 17th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (27 July 2025). 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 the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Communion • “Ask & You Shall Receive”
    All of the chants for 27 July 2025 have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (both text and melody) are exceedingly beautiful and ancient.
    —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

“From the responses received, it is thus clear that by far the greater number of bishops feel that the present discipline [Communion on the tongue and not in the hand] should not be changed at all—indeed, that if it were changed, this would be offensive to the sensibility and spiritual appreciation of these bishops and of most of the faithful.”

— Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (29 May 1969)

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