The essential key for the new evangelization-for practicing Catholics, as well as for slack and lapsed Catholics, and for non-Catholics-is the restoration of sacred music, especially Gregorian Chant, to sunday Mass, said Francis Cardinal Arinze at the 21st annual Church Teaches Forum held here (Lousiville, KY) July 14th and 15th. (from The Wanderer 27 July 2006)
Some readers think I may harp on music because I am some sort of musician. That can't be farther from the truth. I can play "Little Brown Jug" and "My Dog Has Fleas" on the Ukelele and part of "Heart and Soul" on the piano. That's the extent of my musicianship. Singing? I have one note that I can hit well-and I hit it for every note, in every song. When I have a cold, that one note shifts to a deeper one. I am tone deaf. Yet my talent and ability (or rather lack thereof) doesn't make me indifferent to music. On the contrary, as can be seen by periodic posts on it, I am concerned about music, both liturgical and non-liturgical.
Some may say that one type of liturgical music is as good as another-that it is a matter of taste. But the Church does not say this. It gives preference to Gregorian Chant. Liturgical music is not about taste-it is about worship.
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Since we are writing of things liturgical, Kelly Clark posts about "receiving" Holy Communion in the hand here. She does ponder instances of abuse not likely to occur if received on the tongue. But another point jumped out at me. That is, those people who don't "receive" but "take" the host from the priest (if you are lucky enough to have a priest distributing Holy Communion). The Holy Eucharist should be received in humilty as a bride receives the bridegroom-not "taken" or grabbed as a right.
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