Again, patriotic songs during Mass!

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheRealJuliane
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

TheRealJuliane

Guest
Since we are coming up to the 4th of July, we had the same 2 songs during Mass that we did on Memorial Day. This was the vigil Mass last night at 4:30 p.m.

After Communion - God Bless America

Recessional - America the Beautiful

I am as patriotic as anyone, in the right milieu. But at church, I am a Catholic and not an American. I don’t think it’s right to sing “God Bless America” while we are supposed to be praying to Jesus and thanking Him for the gifts of His Body and Blood.

My citizenship in the USA ranks lower on the scale than my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven, temporary address the Catholic Church.

I am not going back to this parish next Sunday for fear they will play the same 2 songs. It really bothers me that this is done.
 
Prepare for the onslaught of “you’re so uncharitable” and “be nice…”

I agree with you.
 
Personally, I do not stop being an American in the liturgy any more than I stop being a Catholic in the voting booth. My two allegiances are deeply intertwined, with complex interactions. Yes, the care of my soul and spiritual matters take a higher priority than my sense of duty to my country, but I seek to achieve a balance in these things, because I was born here, I live here, and I will die here (unless I find another fiancée in Europe…)

Also, I am proud to be a Knight of Columbus. If you know anything about my Order, you will know that we carefully blend Patriotism (the charism of the Fourth Degree) with the other charisms: Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. We are proud Catholics who also happen to be proud Americans, and we defend both the Holy Father as well as the Constitution and our civil liberties.

So it honestly doesn’t bother me to sing patriotic hymns in the context of the liturgy. I’m not going to draw the pedantic card and say that the recessional isn’t part of Mass anyway - to me, that is a cop-out. Devotional songs such as “God Bless America” or “God of Our Fathers” are appropriate to the liturgy during certain times of the year, and, to me, a good way of giving a nod to an important national holiday without the danger of devoting too much liturgical effort to fervent nationalism.

Furthermore, the bishops, speaking through the USCCB, have designated this time the “Fortnight for Freedom”. It is a very special period of intense prayer, study, catechesis, and public action that all American Catholics should be involved in, for the intention of protecting our religious liberty. The bishops in their wisdom have offered us many materials to further this goal, and my parish has implemented them extensively. We are praying a litany for freedom all day on Tuesdays during Eucharistic Adoration. We have added the St. Michael prayer to the end of Mass. We are using the suggested General Intercessions. All the homilies are focused on catechesis about the important issues facing our nation today. If you stop being an American during Mass and bury your head in the sand, you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Stand up for the good of your country and pray that our leaders will come to realize that Catholics cherish both our citizenship and our immortal souls. Listen to our holy priests and bishops as they instruct us on how to form our conscience about the political issues that press upon us in these days. And then go out and take action for the good of the Church, and the good of the country.
 
Offer it up. If, in your perception, this was the worst thing you had to endure today, you have a truly blest life.
 
I played God Bless America this week as a recessional, at the request of the priest. I find it a very appropriate song. To each their own.
 
I feel your pain. I was out of town this weekend and had to attend Mass at a different parish and they played Battle Hymn of the Republic as the recessional song…

-Paul
 
The church I attened sang The National Anthem after the Mass.
 
PJD1987 said:
I feel your pain. I was out of town this weekend and had to attend Mass at a different parish and they played Battle Hymn of the Republic as the recessional song…

-Paul
Click to expand...
That was the recessional song for my dad’s funeral mass, specifically requested by my mom. I personally like the patriotic songs as recessional hymns when appropriate.
 
I have no problem with God Bless America being sung during the recessional. To me, it is entirely appropriate to wish God’s blessing on our country, particularly during this Fortnight of Freedom. However, I have to agree with the OP that, during the Mass itself, such music is not in keeping with the dignity of the setting.
 
I feel like the end of the second half of the second verse was appropriate for what’s going on in the country currently:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law! "
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Since we are coming up to the 4th of July, we had the same 2 songs during Mass that we did on Memorial Day. This was the vigil Mass last night at 4:30 p.m.

After Communion - God Bless America

Recessional - America the Beautiful

I am as patriotic as anyone, in the right milieu. But at church, I am a Catholic and not an American. I don’t think it’s right to sing “God Bless America” while we are supposed to be praying to Jesus and thanking Him for the gifts of His Body and Blood.

My citizenship in the USA ranks lower on the scale than my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven, temporary address the Catholic Church.

I am not going back to this parish next Sunday for fear they will play the same 2 songs. It really bothers me that this is done.
Click to expand...
Try looking at the words to God Bless America as a prayer of petition.

“Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.”

America the Beautiful as a prayer of Thanksgiving.
*
“God shed His grace on thee”*

There is more to these songs than patriotism.

You should be thankful that you were able to be in a church structure, and able to openly worship your faith. (not everyone in the world is so lucky)

I could go on and on about this, but I will let my signature tell you the rest.
 
Elizium23 said:
Personally, I do not stop being an American in the liturgy any more than I stop being a Catholic in the voting booth. My two allegiances are deeply intertwined, with complex interactions. Yes, the care of my soul and spiritual matters take a higher priority than my sense of duty to my country, but I seek to achieve a balance in these things, because I was born here, I live here, and I will die here (unless I find another fiancée in Europe…)

Also, I am proud to be a Knight of Columbus. If you know anything about my Order, you will know that we carefully blend Patriotism (the charism of the Fourth Degree) with the other charisms: Charity, Unity, and Fraternity. We are proud Catholics who also happen to be proud Americans, and we defend both the Holy Father as well as the Constitution and our civil liberties.

So it honestly doesn’t bother me to sing patriotic hymns in the context of the liturgy. I’m not going to draw the pedantic card and say that the recessional isn’t part of Mass anyway - to me, that is a cop-out. Devotional songs such as “God Bless America” or “God of Our Fathers” are appropriate to the liturgy during certain times of the year, and, to me, a good way of giving a nod to an important national holiday without the danger of devoting too much liturgical effort to fervent nationalism.

Furthermore, the bishops, speaking through the USCCB, have designated this time the “Fortnight for Freedom”. It is a very special period of intense prayer, study, catechesis, and public action that all American Catholics should be involved in, for the intention of protecting our religious liberty. The bishops in their wisdom have offered us many materials to further this goal, and my parish has implemented them extensively. We are praying a litany for freedom all day on Tuesdays during Eucharistic Adoration. We have added the St. Michael prayer to the end of Mass. We are using the suggested General Intercessions. All the homilies are focused on catechesis about the important issues facing our nation today. If you stop being an American during Mass and bury your head in the sand, you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Stand up for the good of your country and pray that our leaders will come to realize that Catholics cherish both our citizenship and our immortal souls. Listen to our holy priests and bishops as they instruct us on how to form our conscience about the political issues that press upon us in these days. And then go out and take action for the good of the Church, and the good of the country.
Click to expand...
I am not burying my head in the sand! I am a Catholic first and foremost, and I vote as a Catholic, always pro-life. I do sidewalk counseling at Planned Parenthood. I live my faith. As I am praying after the Eucharist, I don’t need to hear an American song to remind me that I reside in the USA. I want to hear a hymn (and not the Battle Hymn of the Republic, either, please!). We can fight the ACA as Catholics and not need to hear our national anthem in church.
 
jja619 said:
I feel like the end of the second half of the second verse was appropriate for what’s going on in the country currently:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law! "
Click to expand...
Yeah, I said to my husband at that point, “He’s got a LOT of mending to do!”

Forget about the liberty and law part. That’s been over for a while.
 
What about people who aren’t from this country? But who are Catholics? It is One Holy Catholic and Apostolic, not one National Church.
 
Speaking of songs we like or dislike…

I hate to put this into everyone’s head, because the next time you hear it, you’ll go crazy,
but did you know that the Gilligan’s Island Theme Song can be song exactly–without missing a beat–to Amazing Grace.

Now before you yell at me, try it, then chime in!

Smile, people get very tire of straigt faced Catholics…we have something to smile about, not to always be so glum about!😃
 
TheRealJuliane said:
What about people who aren’t from this country? But who are Catholics? It is One Holy Catholic and Apostolic, not one National Church.
Click to expand...
This is a difficult issue in light of the ongoing immigration reform controversy. On the one hand, the Church teaches that immigrants are to be treated with compassion and supported, while illegal border crossing should not be tolerated. I personally believe that the Church’s continued ministry to Latino people in the USA is a linchpin that will keep the Church vital and growing into the next century.

On the other hand, we have Democrats and Republicans. Many Catholics are Democrats, especially the liberal dissenting type. Many Latinos are also Democrats, because it is the people’s party, the party of the worker, the party of the poor. Many faithful Catholics are Republican, either merely because they are conservative overall, or they vote Republican because they are pro-life, and believe that the abortion issue trumps social justice issues like immigration and entitlements. The Republican party will never win over a preponderance of Latinos as long as it retains a reputation for being xenophobic and anti-immigrant, anti-worker, anti-welfare. It will also leave a lot of Catholics behind for the same reasons.

As Catholics, we need to demand more nuanced stances from our politicians. We can never vote with confidence for politicians who merely toe the party line to the detriment of a uniquely Catholic worldview. Both sides need to wake up. Democrat Catholics need to get with the program and be pro-life. Republican Catholics need to stop being xenophobic and support public welfare. Obey our bishops and inform our consciences, then be responsible citizens of both the USA and the Kingdom of God.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
After Communion - God Bless America

Recessional - America the Beautiful
Click to expand...
As a recessional? Sure, that seems fine (we sang Oh Canada this weekend too since today’s Canada Day). Recessional is after Mass anyways.

For after communion? Inappropriate. If there is to be an after communion hymn/song/chant, it should be a meditation on just having received Jesus, not on patriotism. Receiving Holy Communion is the antithesis of the nationalism that song expresses because we all receive the same Jesus in the US, Canada, Germany, or China or at a Roman Catholic or Byzantine Liturgy; it is an expression of our innate universality that transgresses ethnicity, nationality, or any other labels (jocks, geeks, hipsters, etc).
 
I for one,would like to have complete silence after receiving the Eucharist. I do find a lot of the music to be a distraction. However,in light of what we are dealing with regarding our religious freedom,or really our freedom in general,I think it is perfectly appropriate to include patriotic songs in the liturgy.God Bless America,Amen!::signofcross::gopray2:
 
We sang a patriotic song this morning at the end of Mass and I really saw nothing wrong with it. Keep in mind - it’s just once a year. 😉
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top