10 Marian Helper • Fall 2022 • Marian.org “How can you still be Catholic when the music at Mass is so awful?” I was once asked a very similar question by an exCatholic. He wanted to know if I thought the Mass was boring. After all, it’s the same thing every week, the routine doesn’t vary much, the music is bad, and honestly, wouldn’t it be much better to worship God in a more freeflowing, changeable sort of way? I said, “Boredom is a really bad reason not to worship God.” Solitary conceit That said, yes, sometimes I don’t like the music at Mass. But in this, Catholics do not suffer alone. C.S. Lewis of Narnia fame had a similar opinion of the hymns at Anglican services: I disliked very much their hymns, which I considered to be fifth-rate poems set to sixth-rate music. But as I went on I saw the great merit of it. I came up against different people of quite different outlooks and different education, and then gradually my conceit just began peeling off. I realized that the hymns (which were just sixth-rate music) were, nevertheless, being sung with devotion and benefit by an old saint in elastic-side boots in the opposite pew, and then you realize that you aren’t fit to clean those boots. It gets you out of your solitary conceit. Not to say that all objections to Mass music involve “solitary conceit,” of course. There are standards for sacred music that Catholic musicians playing at Mass should adhere to. Sixty years ago, Vatican II dedicated an entire chapter of Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) to the question of sacred music. The Council Fathers clearly placed a high importance on the music traditionally used in the Liturgy of the Church, saying, “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy” (112). We are all supposed to sing at Mass, not just the choir. (Singing is praying twice, St. Augustine allegedly said.) We are meant join our voices to the endless praise and thanksgiving offered to God in the heavenly worship. And what does the Church recommend we sing? The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as especially suited to the |Roman Liturgy. Therefore, other things being equal, it should be given pride of place. But other kinds of sacred music, especially polyphony, are by no means excluded, so long as they accord with the spirit of the liturgical action. There’s an artistic standard — the music should be beautiful and appropriate for use at Mass — but there is also a lot of room for people to write new music and for traditional styles of music from all over the world to be incorporated into use in the Liturgy. Not the point I leave it to the liturgists and musicians to discuss whether what’s current practice throughout America is the most faithful implementation of the letter and spirit of Vatican II. But even if the music at a particular parish is awful, remember that the point of the Mass is not the music. The point of the Mass is Jesus Christ, present inWord and Sacrament to the Mystical Body of Christ. We are to seek to present a more beautiful Liturgy, yes — because it’s appropriate that we offer our very best efforts to God when we gather to worship Him. But that growth in beauty should remain faithful to the norms and teaching of the Church. So bad music is a problem where it exists, and it should be corrected if possible. But it’s certainly not worth ceasing to be Catholic because of bad music. Adapted from How Can You Still Be Catholic? 50 Answers to a Good Question by Chris Sparks (Marian Press; Product code B55-BCBB) BEAUTIFUL MUSIC – SOMETIMES Answers to Questions By Chris Sparks Photo by John Moeses Bauab on Unsplash
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mw==