WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

I doubt not then but innocence shall make false accusation blush, and tyranny tremble at patience.

Weigel On Williams: For All The Saints

-
Vaughan Williams c. 1920
Photo: E. O. Hoppé, in The Songs of Ralph Vaughan Williams by R. Bennett.
[Wikipedia]

At Denver Catholic: https://denvercatholic.org/the-well-fought-fight/
The incorporation of Anglican hymnody into English-language Catholic worship is one of the great blessings of the past 50 years. And within that noble musical patrimony, Ralph Vaughan Williams surely holds pride of place among modern composers.
And...
Alas, like many other hymns, “For All the Saints” is an endangered species today, gutted by parish music directors and pastors who commit the grave sin of not singing a hymn in its entirety — or worse, who bowdlerize the lyrics to coddle the sensibilities of the Church of Nice. Such butchery is especially problematic with “For All the Saints,” which has a robustly martial character. Indeed, the entire text is a meditation on the struggles, and ultimate joys, of spiritual warfare: that “well-fought fight,” undertaken beneath the captaincy of the Lord who is, for the baptized, “their Rock, their Fortress, and their Might,” the conquering “King of glory” who is, “in the darkness drear, their one true Light.”
Maestro Vaughan Williams' masterpiece is still appreciated, unaltered, in the Personal Ordinariates, where artists and their work are given due respect.

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word.

Popular Posts

It's Here! The Saint Peter Gradual: The Chants of the Mass for Sundays, Solemnities, and Feasts.

-
Image
Click on Images to Enlarge Our pastor, the Very Reverend Fr. Carl Reid, returned from the recent clergy gathering in Houston, Texas, and revealed the brand new Ordinariate Gradual. That is, the  Saint Peter Gradual: The Chants of the Mass for Sundays, Solemnities, and Feasts. Apparently, the seventy or more copies of the initial run were snapped up immediately. One can easily imagine that  The Gradual will become an important addition to the Ordinariate liturgical experience. It communicates a vital aspect of the Patrimony. Diocesan English-speaking Catholics may wish to enhance their (Ordinary Form) Masses by making the Proper chants ( Introit, Gradual Psalm, Offertory and Communion ) of The Gradual a central part of their liturgies. Choir directors would do well to include those chants in every Mass since they do define the distinct character of each Mass. Please see the image above to purchase copies: fstravinskas@hotmail.com. The Gradual employs moder...
Read more

Angelic Thrones: The Many-eyed Ones

-
Image
Thrones, also known as Ophanim (Hebrew: אוֹפַנִּים ʼōp̄annīm), meaning “wheels,” are described in Ezekiel’s vision of the merkabah (chariot) in Ezekiel 1:15–21. These wheels are connected to Daniel 7:9, where they are called galgal , often described as “the wheels of galgallin ” in a “fiery flame” and “burning fire.” They are shown as four eye-covered wheels, each formed from two nested wheels, moving together with the winged Cherubim beneath God’s throne. The wheels move in harmony with the Cherubim. The Celestial Hierarchy of Dionysius refers to the Thrones from the Old Testament description as the Third Order of the First Sphere, the other two superior orders being the First Order, the Seraphim, and the Second Order, the Cherubim. CHAPTER VII Of the Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, and their first Hierarchy The name of the most glorious and exalted Thrones denotes that which is exempt from and untainted by any base and earthly thing, and the supermundane ascent up the steep. Fo...
Read more

Obedience In Catholic Terms

-
Image
The Church recently celebrated Good Shepherd Sunday. How many were paying attention to Christ's teaching? Addressing the Jewish teachers, Jesus told aspiring leaders, or shepherds, that they had forfeited their position. John 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Those are some sobering words for clergy. Obedience in Catholic teaching is not merely “doing what you’re told.” It is a faithful, loving alignment of your will with God’s will, expressed concretely through lawful authority, especially in the forms God has establi...
Read more

25 New Incense Blends For Catholic Parishes

-
Image
AI generated image. Can there be such a thing as too much incense? Some blends might catch on. Yes? No? Maybe? The James Martin Blend ... produces a rainbow coloured cloud that induces a bacchanalian fervour in Mass-attendees. The JM Blend tends to exacerbate a misplaced sense of entitlement. The Bergoglio Blend ... is competition for The James Martin Blend, with additional negative ecumenical side-effects. The Müller Blend ... is a traditional blend known for an ability to inspire clear thinking and to expose heterodoxy. The Big Pulpit Blend ... reaches those thirsty for truth, goodness and beauty. The SSPX Blend ... is an engaging array of scents with an angry finish. The Anglicanorum Coetibus Ordinariate Blend ... is heaven on earth! The Biden Blend ... is known to induce confusion, chaos and scandal, even in small amounts. The Pelosi Blend ... is the blend of choice for Democrat funerals that tends to attract an unwanted rodent commonly associated with the bubonic plague. The Atha...
Read more

Sharing The Beauty Of Evensong In The Catholic Church

-
Image
DURANDUS | NLM Evensong is a liturgy of the Daily Office where psalms and other biblical passages are sung or said, usually close to sunset. The Latin word vesperas was rendered as aefensang  by Old English speakers, and this became "evensong" in modern English. https://singtheoffice.com/  | Music companion for chanting the Office. Variable audio support available. A very useful site! Structure The office of Vespers normally includes psalms, the Magnificat , a hymn, and other prayers. By the Early Middle Ages, it became common for secular clergy to combine Vespers and Compline . By the sixteenth century, worshippers in western Europe conceived 'evensong' as Vespers and Compline performed without break. Modern Byzantine services advertised as 'vespers' often similarly conclude with Compline . Background The Anglican archbishop Thomas Cranmer created choral evensong as a component of the Book of Common Prayer (1549) during the Edwardian Reformation, drawing on t...
Read more

June Consistory Of Cardinals: Pope Leo And The Kerygma-centred Mission

-
Image
Baptism of the Eunuch by Rembrandt Recently we've read that Pope Leo intends a kerygma-centred mission to be the focus of the upcoming June consistory of cardinals. Mary Rose at Zeale website reports that Pope Leo XIV has formally summoned the world’s cardinals to a June 26–27 consistory in a letter urging a renewed focus on the Church’s core proclamation of the risen Christ rather than institutional preservation. Pope Saint John Paul II describes the kerygma as “the initial, ardent proclamation, by which a person is one day overwhelmed and brought to the decision to entrust himself to Jesus Christ by faith ( Catechesi Tradendae )." FOUR ASPECTS OF THE KERYGMA THE SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUS CHRIST Kerygma is a Greek word meaning proclamation and refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. God loves you and has a purpose for your life. God created us for a relationship with Him (St John 3:16-17; 1 John 3:1), to share a most profound communion of love. Our relatio...
Read more

POPE LEO XIV Magnifica Humanitas

Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good” (paragraph 211).

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES

Have patience with all things - but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, a worthwhile person simply because you exist. And no amount of triumphs or tribulations can ever change that.

SAINT AUGUSTINE of HIPPO

The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.

ORISOUN

Heofon ond eorþe sind gefylled þīnre wuldres.