Dear Good Shepherd Parishioners,
Greetings in Christ! We welcome you to this three-part series on music at Mass. The Second Vatican Council stated that the celebration of the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the entire Christian life" (Lumen Gentium no. 11). Everything in our lives as Catholics is meant to lead us to the Mass and flow outward from the Mass. The Mass is the "heart" of the Church. In the human body, deoxygenated blood enters the heart, gets filled with oxygen and nutrients in the lungs, and then is sent back out from the heart to the rest of the body to bring life-giving oxygen and nutrients to the organs, tissues, and remote parts of the body. In a similar way, in the body of the Church, the baptized faithful enter the church building for Holy Mass, where they are filled with divine life in Word and Sacrament, and then are sent back out from the Mass to the rest of the world to bring life-giving divine grace to their homes, workplaces, and remote parts of the secular world. The Mass is where we participate most profoundly in the self-giving life of the Trinity and are transformed into the very One we worship and receive in holy Communion.
What happens at Mass is unlike anything else we experience in the rest of our life. In the Mass, time folds into eternity and eternity folds into time, and we are there--the night before He suffered; we are there--when He breathed His last on the Cross; we are there--at the empty tomb of the Resurrection; we are there--when He ascended back into Heaven; we are there--at the descent of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. The Mass is the re-presentation (the making present again) of the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. All that God has accomplished for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is made present and is opened up for our participation in the Mass. All of salvation history--from the first Adam to the New Adam--is summed up and fulfilled in the Passover of the Lord. When we join ourselves with Christ in the celebration of the Mass, God is glorified and we are sanctified. The Mass here on earth is already a participation in the Heavenly liturgy which we will, God-willing, enter into in its fullness after our earthly pilgrimage has ended. When we enter the church building and the doors close behind us, we are stepping away from the chaos of the secular world outside and are stepping into the sacred space of divine life.
The word "sacred" comes from the Latin word "sacer," which is used to refer to something or someone that has been consecrated, dedicated, or set apart for divine use. The word "secular" comes from the Latin word "saeculāris," which is used to refer to something or someone that is of the world, of the present age. Things that are sacred have an eternal character, whereas things that are secular have a worldly or temporal character. Following the command of Christ in the Gospel, the Church is on a mission to pour into the secular world the sacredness or holiness of God given to her by Christ Himself. The sacred is supposed to invade the secular to transform it into the sacred; the secular is not meant to invade the sacred to transform it into the secular.
The document Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council states that "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" (no. 112). Because of the sacred nature of the Mass, only music which can be considered truly sacred is worthy of use in liturgical celebrations. Sacred music is distinct from secular music both in content and in style. Nothing secular should be admitted to the sacred liturgy, either in content or in style.
In terms of content, the goal of music in the liturgy is to sing the Mass itself rather than to simply sing at Mass. The Church already provides scriptural texts to be sung throughout the liturgy which are connected with each specific liturgical celebration. Rather than finding songs from outside of the liturgy to bring into the Mass, the first goal is to sing the texts already provided for each moment of the Mass.
Did you know that the Church already provides specific music to be sung during the entrance procession, the offertory, and the Communion rite for every Mass? These texts are called antiphons, and they come with verses from the Psalms. The antiphons and Psalms the Church has chosen for each Mass are directly connected to the scripture passages proclaimed in the Liturgy of the Word. The antiphons and Psalm verses help us enter more deeply into the liturgical celebration rather than being drawn away from it.
In terms of style, the Church is clear that “Gregorian chant should be given pride of place in liturgical services” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 116). The more closely a musical composition adheres to the style of Gregorian Chant, the more appropriate it is to the sacred liturgy. The Church has a rich treasury of both Gregorian Chant and sacred polyphony from which to draw for liturgical celebrations. Contemporary compositions are by no means excluded from use in the liturgy; however, only those contemporary compositions which are appropriate in both content and style should be used. Chant is not simply a bygone historical phenomenon. Chant is the specific, set-apart music that the Church herself has developed for use in the Mass.
The following quotes from various Church documents speak specifically about the necessary style that music in the Mass should have.
“Sacred music is to be considered the more holy the more closely connected it is with the liturgical action, whether making prayer more pleasing, promoting unity of minds, or conferring greater solemnity upon the sacred rites" (Sacrosanctum Concilium no. 112).
"With gratitude to the Creator for giving humanity such a rich diversity of musical styles, the Church seeks to employ only that which, in a given style, meets the ritual-spiritual demands of the Liturgy. In discerning the sacred quality of liturgical music, liturgical musicians will find guidance in music from the Church’s treasury of sacred music, which is of inestimable value and which past generations have found suitable for worship" (USCCB, Sing to the Lord no. 71).
"The musical judgment asks whether this composition has the necessary aesthetic qualities that can bear the weight of the mysteries celebrated in the Liturgy. It asks the question: Is this composition technically, aesthetically, and expressively worthy? This judgment requires musical competence. Only artistically sound music will be effective and endure over time. To admit to the Liturgy the cheap, the trite, or the musical cliché often found in secular popular songs is to cheapen the Liturgy, to expose it to ridicule, and to invite failure" (USCCB, Sing to the Lord no. 134-35).
"Sacred music should consequently possess, in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in particular sanctity and goodness of form. It must be holy, and must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in itself but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it" (Tra Le Sollecitudini 2).
"The introduction into the celebration of anything that is merely secular, or which is hardly compatible with divine worship, under the guise of solemnity should be carefully avoided" (Musicam Sacram 43).
"Instruments that are generally associated and used only with worldly music are to be absolutely barred from liturgical services and religious devotions" (Musicam Sacram 63).
"In the Latin [Roman] Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things" (Sacrosanctum Concilium no. 120).
"Among all other instruments which are suitable for divine worship, the organ is 'accorded pride of place' because of its capacity to sustain the singing of a large gathered assembly, due to both its size and its ability to give 'resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation.' Likewise, 'the manifold possibilities of the organ in some way remind us of the immensity and the magnificence of God'" (USCCB, Sing to the Lord no. 87).
"Gregorian chant should be given pride of place in liturgical services" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 116).
"There must be no innovations unless the good of the Church genuinely and certainly requires them, and care must be taken that any new forms adopted should in some way grow organically from forms already existing" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 23).
"The introduction of vernacular languages into the liturgy has raised many issues: of language, form, and musical genre. At times, a certain mediocrity, superficiality, and banality have prevailed to the detriment of the beauty and intensity of the liturgical celebrations" (Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the International Conference on Sacred Music, March 4, 2017).
"Not just any music, but holy music, because rituals are holy; endowed with the nobility of art, because God must be given the best; universal, so that everyone can understand and celebrate. Above all, clearly distinct and different from that used for other purposes" (Pope Francis, Address to the Scholae Cantorum of the Italian Association of Saint Cecelia, 18 Sept. 2019).
Thank you for joining us for this first part of our catechetical series on music at Mass. Next week, Father Dalton will explain some of the specific changes we have already made in our liturgical music here at Good Shepherd to move toward the Church's vision of sacred music.
Stay tuned!
Sincerely in Christ, the Good Shepherd,
Fr. Alex Chavez, Fr. Dalton Rogers, & Fr. Rene Vargas
P.S. We invite you to submit any questions you may have! The third and final "episode" of this catechetical series will feature a question-and-answer video where Father Dalton, Father James, and a special guest will answer some of the popular questions that arise. Email your questions to Father Dalton at: drogers@gscparish.org.
For More Information
Good Shepherd is one of many parishes around the country that have begun a transition to more sacred music in the Mass. Check out these wonderful informational videos below from Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie, Oregon!
Also check out this great article from The Pillar: What Exactly is Sacred Music?
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