The Recovering Choir Director

It’ll take place in Cincinnati, Ohio from July 14-18, 2003. Their theme this year is “Christ Present…When the Church Prays and Sings” and the powers-that-be add a citation to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (CSL, No. 7) in the brochure to give the theme more teeth.

A lot is missing in those three little dots. Here’s CSL, No. 7 in all its glory. NPM’s theme is italicized for clarity, while boldfaced words are my emphasis:

To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister, “the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who formerly offered himself on the cross” (20), but especially under the eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes (21). He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings, for He promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20) .

Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the Eternal Father.

Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of the man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.

From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.

“Lastly, when the Church prays and sings.” It confirms the fact that Christ is totally self-sufficient and does not need our praise. Also, since much has been made about the order of proper music selection in documents like the General Instruction (i.e., the first mentioned option is understood as the most preferred option), take note that prayer comes before song in the document. Music in church has been and should be sung prayer. Now, if music gets in the way of prayer, as Jane has said in the previous post, shouldn’t the music get out of the way so that people can pray? Because music gets in the way so often nowadays, the chances are fairly good that you’ll meet more trained musicians at the missa lecta than at what passes for low Mass with hymns at most parishes.

Here’s a link to the PDF version of the convention brochure. I see that the Capuchin Father Foley of WeBelieve.cc will be making yet another appearance for NPM, along with the usual liturgical-industrial players and their apparatchiki. At least they’re touching Eastern rite music and (gasp!) Gregorian chant, as well as noting the hundredth anniversary of St. Pius X’s motu proprio on sacred music along with the 40th anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium.