Recently the Archdioceses of Miami radio show, "Faith Factor", asked callers to tell them "What kind of music do you prefer when you go to Mass?" Some callers indicated that they preferred very charismatic, praise and worship music and that traditional Catholic music was Euro-centric The website archives the programs so if your interested in listening you should check out the 4/1/08 show to hear exactly what was discussed.
The next day a poll was set up on the "Faith Factor" website along with a request that "if you missed us yesterday or weren't able to share your opinion, please send us an email to thefaithfactor@radiopeace.org so we can follow-up with you next time around." People posted in favor of both contemporary charismatic, praise and worship and others posted in favor of Gregorian chant and polyphony. Well, the response by the "Faith Factor" was as follows:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Do you KNOW Him?
Do you know Him? Think before you answer this question. I'm not asking if you know of Him. I'm not asking if you are a self-proclaimed expert on all things about Him. I'm not asking if you are a biblical scholar, a theologian, a liturgist, or an expert on sacred music. All of these things are important. But I am asking if you KNOW Him? Do you have a personal relationship with the Lord? A relationship with your Heavenly Father. A CURRENT relationship with the King above all kings. Is the Lord present in your life right now or is He a historical figure that you study?
Why am I bringing this up? Our web poll about music in the liturgy has drawn much attention from those that believe (G)regorian chant and sacred hymns is the only music acceptable as part of the mass. They may very well be correct. However, many of the responses discuss the subject as if we were discussing algebra or chemistry. Giving a litany of facts and history as though they are trying to win an argument.
Let me be clear. Radio Peace and The Faith Factor Radio Show exist solely to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hopes of bringing our listeners to a relationship with our God. We do have programs on Radio Peace that educate us on the Catechism, the Encyclicals, the Sacred Scriptures, etc., etc., etc. This important. But it is only part of what we do. We want you to know Him. To really know Him so that you can love Him. When you know Him and you love Him we want to provide a platform for you to share your faith walk towards Him with others that share in the same knowing and loving.
Like a wise young man I know always says..."Jesus loves you." If you want to know why, we can talk about it. If you don't care, that's OK. He'll be waiting patiently until you are ready.
Posted by Bill Brown at 10:25 PM
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The post started me thinking....
"Is the Lord present in your life right now or is He a historical figure that you study?"
My brother Bill is right in that we must have charity. Without Charity our Faith is dead. But is there a dichotomy between Faith vs Reason? Is it an either/or relationship..., are they mutually exclusive? Is our faith only measured by our emotional responses or is our intellect and will part of the equation. Can't I study the Catholic Faith as someone studies mathematics and still be able to love God?Are they are complimentary? Does Faith inform Reason which, in turn, nutures Faith.....?
"However, many of the responses discuss the subject as if we were discussing algebra or chemistry. Giving a litany of facts and history as though they are trying to win an argument."
Does the Church teach that the liturgy has norms? Does the Church teach that certain types of music have a "pride of place" or doens't she? What does it mean to have "pride of place?" Do we as Catholics have an obligation to FACTOR this treasure of the Church into our lives? Should we encourage the use of these forms of music and learn about them or can we ignore or suppress there expression? Are there reasources in the Miami that would be helpful to learning more about these froms of music? How accessible are they? How about at your parish? What do you think?
Let's discuss it in a lively but civilized and charitable (Christ like) way, but let us be reasonable. I cannot measure the depths of your sincerity, niether can you measure mine. Only God is capable of such discernment.
I have named the blog "Faith and Reason in Miami" because I want the discussion to affect where I live, Miami. However, I welcome all well reasoned and charitable discusion from anyone in the Univeral church (who has internet access, ....do St. Thomas Aquinas and Pierre Rousselot have internet access?) who wish to post on the subjects of liturgical music or faith and reason in the Catholic Faith.
Are Gregorian chant and polyphony simply museum pieces that are not relevent for today's Catholics in Miami? Are people who prefer these musical forms in the Mass simply nostalgic for a bygone era that never actually existed? Is that good or bad? As Roman Catholics, how are we called to evaluate the situation?
4 comments:
I think both forms of musica are important. The newer music is needed today in order to minister to young people. It gets them in the door. Then the older music is there for us to explore. I think the liturgy needs to be communicated to younger people in forms thst they understand. They are more likely to get the meaning of the Mass if they have part that they can identify with.
Anonymous:
I must disagree with you. I recently had the opportunity to take my 11 year old nephew to Mass with me. He was totally blown away by the choir and use of the organ. He thought it was the coolest thing.
On another Sunday we went to a LifeTeen Mass, and he was sorely disappointed. He said it didn't even seem like church with a band playing that type of music.
The use of chant and polyphony encourages a sense of awe. The music is NOT everyday type music. It's sound is unique, it grabs your attention and lets you know that this is something 'set aside' as special.
We must consider that this music was used in the Catholic liturgy for hundreds of years, and ask ourselves, "Why does it need to change all of a sudden?"
We could also ask ourselves, "Where young people not coming to church before contemporary music was used?" Like my nephew noted above, children are not dumb. We do not need to water down the message or the music to appeal to them. Contemporary music is just what the name implies: temporary, or of the present. This could very well give a young person the false notion that the faith too can change over time and/or needs to keep up with the times. We are a Church that holds fast to tradition. We must understand our history in order to know who we are.
I hope I do not sound overly critical. I apologize if I've come across that way.
I highly recommend reading "The Spirit of the Liturgy" by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) for the Holy Father's view of Sacred Music and the Liturgy.
May God bless you always.
- Anthony
Thanks for the post Anthony,
I agree with your comments. I had hoped to start a dialogue with those of the opposing view but that seems to have gone nowhere. I think I heard you call in to the show the day after Washington Mass when Holy Father was in the USA. It was heartbreaking to watch the whole focus of the Mass from God the Father to the "people of God"
The whole reason for the multi cultural focus is the opposite of what the Mass is in its essence. Had anyone read The Spirit of the Liturgy (great book) they would have known better. Especially the chapter on the orientation of the Altar of Sacrifice.
Yes, Luis, that was me that called in to Radio Peace's "Faith Factor" that day. It appears Fr. Neuhaus and Raymond Arroyo from EWTN shared my opinion during the Mass at Nationals Stadium. Their commentary at times was quite sharp. It gave me some relief to know that someone was speaking out.
I sent an email to Bill over at radio peace a couple of weeks ago with out a reply. Although its not perfectly in line with the "faith and reason" discussion, maybe you would like to make an entry on your blog from that email. Please feel free to delete this comment due to the size:
Here's the body of my email:
Good afternoon, Bill. I thought you might find this to be an excellent question from a FAQ page from a parish in CT.
- Anthony
Q: "How can St. Padre Pio help us better understand the Mass?"
This article first appeared in Homiletics and Pastoral Review, October 2003.
With every saint that is canonized, the Lord gives the Church another charism of holiness to understand and imitate. The canonization of St. Padre Pio last year could not have come at a better time in the Church's history, because of what his life can teach the Church concerning the liturgical crisis that it is currently facing. The Catholic Mass is set apart from any other form of Christian worship by its sacrificial nature. The Mass is a re-presentation of the Son of God at Calvary - bloody, bruised and beaten - to God the Father, for the conversion of the sinners, and the salvation of souls. This sacrificial reality of the Mass was never so clear in the 20th Century as in the Mass of St. Padre Pio.
As many know, St. Pio was the first priest in the history of the Church to bear the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ. As awesome as this may sound, whenever this friar offered the Mass, he mystically re-enacted the passion of Christ on the cross, making his participation in the Mass powerfully different than any other priests. A fascinating little book written by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara entitled, Padre Pio's Mass, has a series of interviews with St. Padre Pio, revealing his understanding of what is actually happening during the Mass. In this age of liturgical innovations, with scholars struggling to understand what "good liturgy" is, this book provides invaluable insight into the reality of the Mass.
When Padre speaks of the Mass, he says, "I should like to shed, not a few tears, but torrents of tears when faced with the mystery of a God Victim. We priests are the butchers of Jesus during the Mass, while all of Paradise reverently descends on the altar. (p. 45). In a revealing interview with the author, Padre Pio also explains the nature of his own suffering when he offers this diving sacrifice:
Fr. Tarcisio: At what hour of the day, Padre, do you suffer most?
St. Pio: During the celebration of the Mass.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what moment of the divine Sacrifice do you suffer most?
St. Pio: Always and increasingly.
Fr. Tarcisio: During the celebration of Mass, at what moment do you suffer most?
St. Pio: From the Consecration to Communion.
Fr. Tarcisio: At what part of the Mass are you scourged?
St. Pio: From beginning to end, but more intensely after the Consecration.
Fr. Tarcisio: During Mass are the pricks of the crown of thorns and the wounds of the scourging real?
St. Pio: What do you mean? The results are the same.
The book is filled with blunt anecdotes such as this, giving a detailed view of just how the Mass is truly a mystical re-presentation of the brutal sacrifice of Christ offered to the Father. When one meditates on this, it becomes evermore clear how the Mass could never be anything less than a solemn and sacred event. It is hard to imagine liturgical dance, waving of hands, or cheering going at one of Padre Pio's Masses. Reverent silence and prayer seem to be the only proper response at his Mass, and therefore at every Mass.
Some liturgists will make the claim that Vatican II called for these more enthusiastic and entertaining Masses as a means of "celebrating community". However, Sacrosanctum Concilium mentions the sacrificial nature of the Mass six times, including here: "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he should come again." (#47)
It is also worth noting that Sacrosanctum Concilium supports the beautiful doctrinal teachings of the Council of Trent, which articulated the Mass as sacrifice: "The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent (remain) intact." (#55) The most common argument for a more active role by the laity in the Mass is the famous passage advocating "full and active participation" by all the people in the liturgy. Although St. Padre Pio died in 1968, and therefore never offered the Novus Ordo Mass, it is interesting how he would understand this teaching of Vatican II:
Fr. Tarcisio: What should we do during Mass?
St. Pio: Repent and love.
Fr. Tarcisio: Padre, how should we hear Mass?
St. Pio: In the same way that the Most Holy Virgin and the holy women assisted. In the same way St. John assisted at the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sanguinary one of the Cross.
Fr. Tarcisio: What benefits do we receive on hearing it?
St. Pio: It is not possible to number them. You will see them in Paradise.
For Padre Pio, "full and active participation" means imitating the example the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John at the foot of the cross. Is it possible to imagine Our Lady and St. John doing anything but weeping and mourning, as they meditated on the immense love of their Savior? St. Padre Pio is saying that people should participate in the Mass through prayer and meditation, rather than random forms of self-expression, or having a role to play.
Still, opponents of a more solemn Mass try to emphasize the horizontal aspect of the Mass (one's relationship with the community), rather than the vertical aspect (one's relationship with God). Sacrosanctum Concilium clearly states, however, that the vertical aspect takes precedence over the horizontal: In the Mass, "the human is directed toward, and subordinated to, the divine, the visible to the invisible, action to contemplation, and this present world to that city yet to come, the object of our quest." (#2, emphasis added)
Pope John Paul II has also stated that in our own time, the horizontal aspect of the faith has been overemphasized: "The temptation today is to reduce Christianity to merely human wisdom, a pseudo-science of well being. In our heavily secularized world a "gradual secularization of salvation has taken place, so that people strive for the good of man, but man who is truncated, reduced to his merely horizontal dimension. We know however, that Jesus came to bring integral salvation, one which embraces the whole person and all mankind, and opens up the wondrous prospect of divine filiation." (Redemptoris Missio, #11) Certainly this reduction, as the Pope calls it, has been felt in the liturgy of the modern Church, making it more difficult for the average Catholic to find reverence and solemnity in their Sunday Mass.
God has given the Church a miraculous glimpse into the solemn and sacrificial nature of the Mass in the example of St. Padre Pio. May this new holy man of God intercede for the Church and help bring about an authentic renewal in the liturgy. (Padre Pio's Mass, by Fr. Tarcisio of Cervinara, can be purchased from the National Center for Padre Pio in Barto, PA at (610) 845-3000)
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