Communion Songs - Not just any song

[donr]

Of course, you might find this one objectionable. I heard it this past Sunday at Mass. A priest friend of mine said it sounded like something out of a jazz bar with greeting card lyrics.

This is something that I could not sing, nor will not sing, during Holy Communion. The focus is on “we” and not on “He”.

I agree with you. after communion there is nothing more distracting to my prayer of thanksgiving than to be forced to hear a song about how we are connected to one another or some such song.

 

[benedictgal]

I agree with you. after communion there is nothing more distracting to my prayer of thanksgiving than to be forced to hear a song about how we are connected to one another or some such song.

The sad thing is that the opening piano notes sound eerily like the theme song to “Cheers”. There’s even an Agnus Dei set to that tune.

 

[donr]

Sorry to be a ‘wet blanket’ here but I find each and every one of the above songs objectionable.

I ALWAYS find words distracting. After I receive I like to kneel in contemplative prayer until the priest says “Let us pray.”

The only music that helps me at this sacred moment is either instrumental or Gregorian chant. (I know. I harp on this in many threads – it’s a real problem for me.)
It takes a lot of concentration to ignore an English hymn, no matter how holy it is.

Although I would agree with you on most of these and your general premise, My music director wants a communion song from the OCP Breaking Bread 2010 edition. I need to find something that will work but still be respectful to the great gift being offered to us.

I am slowly pressing the point to allow me to sing an English translation of the communion antiphon. After I am allowed that I will work at a Latin antiphon. It is not easy to change hearts and minds but not impossible. I will keep pressing the point and make it

I usually end the communion song very early and either just play music or have silence. The priest always sits in complete silence after communion for a few minutes.

 

[CatholicZ09]

Although I would agree with you on most of these and your general premise, My music director wants a communion song from the OCP Breaking Bread 2010 edition. I need to find something that will work but still be respectful to the great gift being offered to us.

I am slowly pressing the point to allow me to sing an English translation of the communion antiphon. After I am allowed that I will work at a Latin antiphon. It is not easy to change hearts and minds but not impossible. I will keep pressing the point and make it

I usually end the communion song very early and either just play music or have silence. The priest always sits in complete silence after communion for a few minutes.

Since we have the same Missal, I think I could suggest a few more things.

Maybe:

#525 Adoro Te Devote (Godhead Here in Hiding)
#362 I Received the Living God
#330 Taste and See

I posted a lot more in an earlier post, and this is pretty much all OCP has to offer. Someone stated earlier the “Sing, My Tongue, the Savior’s Glory” a.k.a. “Pange Lingua” could be used. That’s a good idea.

I can’t really find any more.

 

[CatholicZ09]

Oh, I realized that you said you were getting sick with “I Received the Living God”.

Well, this isn’t really a Eucharistic hymn, but maybe #392 “Be Thou My Vision”? I see this used at Communion often.

 

[Love_Divine]

You might be able to make use of the already suggested Musica Sacra resource. The default for the Communion hymn is the Communion antiphon. If you catch a broadcast of the Papal Mass, you will note that most of the times, the antiphons are used.

Table of Plenty, Blest Are They and the Prayer of St. Francis are not really all that great for Communion. Neither is One Bread, One Body.

On the other hand:

I Received the Living God (which you already use)
At That First Eucharist
Draw Us In the Spirit’s Tether (from GIA Worship III and not suitable for Lent)
Alleluia, Sing to Jesus (beautiful, but, not for Lent)
–the problem is that OCP chops up this song and removes all of the Eucharistic elements
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (all but the last verse are suitable for Lent)
Love’s Divine, All Love’s Excelling
Shepherd of Souls
Sing My Tongue the Savior’s Glory (perfect for Palm Sunday and Good Friday)
Amen - bilingual song by Fr. John Schiavone

make great Communion hymns.

Blest are They should be transposed into a lower key. Most people in the congregation can’t hit the “re-joice” part, myself included. I have to sing the song an octave lower just to get to that part. It’s awkward because as a female, I shouldn’t be able to sing that low.

I always found Alleluia, Sing to Jesus, and Love Divine All Love’s Excelling to be more of recessional hymns.

I’m not a personal fan of the BB hymnal. I find parishes who use it tend to constantly pick new songs that I’ve never heard of before, and really aren’t all the churchy.

My suggestions:
-Abba! Father!
-I Am the Bread of Life
-Bread, Blessed and Broken
-Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling

I can’t think of too many off the top of my head from that hymnal, and most of the communion songs are so unfamiliar to me I can’t remember them.

 

[benedictgal]

Blest are They should be transposed into a lower key. Most people in the congregation can’t hit the “re-joice” part, myself included. I have to sing the song an octave lower just to get to that part. It’s awkward because as a female, I shouldn’t be able to sing that low.

I always found Alleluia, Sing to Jesus, and Love Divine All Love’s Excelling to be more of recessional hymns.

I’m not a personal fan of the BB hymnal. I find parishes who use it tend to constantly pick new songs that I’ve never heard of before, and really aren’t all the churchy.

My suggestions:
-Abba! Father!
-I Am the Bread of Life
-Bread, Blessed and Broken
-Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling

I can’t think of too many off the top of my head from that hymnal, and most of the communion songs are so unfamiliar to me I can’t remember them.

However, OCP edited Alleluia, Sing to Jesus enough to remove the original Eucharistic elements of the song. That is why it is very strange to me to use it as a recessional because it does not make sense.

On the other hand, I would not use Abba! Father! because it has no Eucharistic element to it and the style is not at all consistent with the sacred nature of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

 

[Newbie2]

Maybe you could put music to some of the beautiful Communion prayers written by great Saints. These have no ‘copy right’ and the words may inspire people and help them pray.

Or maybe you could just play something in your guitar without lyrics. This may also help people enter into the mood to pray after Communion without listening to words that may distract them.

:harp:

Alma

The only problem with “Eat this Bread” is that it is not really the best song for the faithful to sing. Each verse has a different setting to it and they are rather complicated. It works best only if the faithful sing the refrain and the cantor/choir sing the verses; however, even at that point, the ones who are singing the verses really have to know them well. If not, the results are not a joyful noise.

Catholic don’t sing anyway.

This is something that I could not sing, nor will not sing, during Holy Communion.

So much for full, active participation.

Don’t you think though, BG, that this could be seen as a “holier than thou” attitude? I’m too pious to sing these pagan songs, that sort of thing?

How would this be different than someone, say, who refused to receive from the chalice because it was made of something other than what’s approved? Or even perhaps receiving the host from a priest only, not a Deacon or EMHC?

The way I look at it is this, if you’re at mass and a particular hymn has been chosen and you don’t like it and choose not to sing along, then you’re not really giving full and active participation in the mass. If one chooses to speak with the music director, liturgist, priest, deacon, whomever about the choice of hymn after mass or at a different time, fine.

To me not singing a hymn because one deems it theologically unsound, methinks, is the very same in principle as walking out in the middle of a homily because one does not like the homily.

Now if one cannot carry a tune or hit the notes in a particular song…that is a different matter.

 

[benedictgal]

on’t you think though, BG, that this could be seen as a “holier than thou” attitude? I’m too pious to sing these pagan songs, that sort of thing?

How would this be different than someone, say, who refused to receive from the chalice because it was made of something other than what’s approved? Or even perhaps receiving the host from a priest only, not a Deacon or EMHC?

The way I look at it is this, if you’re at mass and a particular hymn has been chosen and you don’t like it and choose not to sing along, then you’re not really giving full and active participation in the mass. If one chooses to speak with the music director, liturgist, priest, deacon, whomever about the choice of hymn after mass or at a different time, fine.

To me not singing a hymn because one deems it theologically unsound, methinks, is the very same in principle as walking out in the middle of a homily because one does not like the homily.

Now if one cannot carry a tune or hit the notes in a particular song…that is a different matter.

Actually, it’s not a holier-than-thou attitude. One of the priests I know refuses to sing this kind of drek when it’s played at the Masses that he celebrates. He is quite orthodox and, despite the poor quality of music, he, for his part, does what he can to infuse sacredness into the liturgy to make up for the poor song selections. And, no, he does not have any control over this because he is not the pastor.

I cannot sing something that is inconsistent with what the Church says should be done. The song that I posted is more along the lines of a me/we attitude than about Christ and the Holy Eucharist.

 

[Newbie2]

Actually, it’s not a holier-than-thou attitude.

I would not have expected you to have agreed with me on this.

One of the priests I know refuses to sing this kind of drek when it’s played at the Masses that he celebrates. He is quite orthodox and, despite the poor quality of music, he, for his part, does what he can to infuse sacredness into the liturgy to make up for the poor song selections. And, no, he does not have any control over this because he is not the pastor.

That would have been my next question…why would he have to put up with something he disagreed with.

I cannot sing something that is inconsistent with what the Church says should be done. The song that I posted is more along the lines of a me/we attitude than about Christ and the Holy Eucharist.

Like I said…something less than full, active participation.

This, methinks, is akin to Cafeteria Catholocism…choosing for ourselves which parts of mass in which we deem worthy of our participation.

I, of course, will consider changing my mind if shown documentation that says that we can pick and choose which parts of mass in which to participate.

 

[benedictgal]

Like I said…something less than full, active participation.

This, methinks, is akin to Cafeteria Catholocism…choosing for ourselves which parts of mass in which we deem worthy of our participation.

I, of course, will consider changing my mind if shown documentation that says that we can pick and choose which parts of mass in which to participate.

But, that is not necessarily what full and active participation means. It means to also have an interior spirit of prayer.

For you to claim that this is Cafeteria Catholicism, I believe, is to grossly misunderstand the term. The song that I posted is Cafeterial Catholicism, such does not belong in the Mass. The song centers around the individual and ignores the divine.

We are not obligated to sing something that is inconsistent with Church teaching.

 

[Newbie2]

But, that is not necessarily what full and active participation means. It means to also have an interior spirit of prayer.

**For you to claim that this is Cafeteria Catholicism, I believe, is to grossly misunderstand the term. ** The song that I posted is Cafeterial Catholicism, such does not belong in the Mass. The song centers around the individual and ignores the divine.

We are not obligated to sing something that is inconsistent with Church teaching.

Note that I wrote “akin to”, not “is”, in reference to the common understanding of “Cafeteria Catholic”.

It’s important that we read carefully so as not to misunderstand each other.

And we are not authorized to deterimine for ourselves which “somethings” we each determine are suitable or unsuitable. That where the Cafeterianism relates.

 

[benedictgal]

Note that I wrote “akin to”, not “is”, in reference to the common understanding of “Cafeteria Catholic”.

It’s important that we read carefully so as not to misunderstand each other.

And we are not authorized to deterimine for ourselves which “somethings” we each determine are suitable or unsuitable. That where the Cafeterianism relates.

I stand by what I have written. OCP, the purveyor of this bad song, carries no ecclesial authority whatsoever. We are not obliged to follow its lead on anything because it has no power. It may think it has, but, it does not. Thus, not singing what they provide is not being a Cafeterial Catholic because the publishing house does not act with the authority of the Church. There is also no quality control in any of its song books.

 

[Regi]

I totally agree with you benedictgal. The song I can not / will not sing is Amazing Grace - not just for the lyrics - I just can not stand to hear it. It is overplayed and poorly written. It is expecially bad when used as a Communion hymn.

 

[The_Reginator]

But, that is not necessarily what full and active participation means. It means to also have an interior spirit of prayer.

For you to claim that this is Cafeteria Catholicism, I believe, is to grossly misunderstand the term. The song that I posted is Cafeterial Catholicism, such does not belong in the Mass. The song centers around the individual and ignores the divine.

We are not obligated to sing something that is inconsistent with Church teaching.

Newbie:
Did you ever consider that the way we participate is not so much a question of being ‘holier than thou’ but simply a matter of being as holy as we can in God’s presence?
It matters not what others think of us or what how we see ourselves. Serving God in the most obedient and worshipful manner in His eyes is what is important.

 

[Newbie2]

Newbie:
Did you ever consider that the way we participate is not so much a question of being ‘holier than thou’ but simply a matter of being as holy as we can in God’s presence?
It matters not what others think of us or what how we see ourselves. Serving God in the most obedient and worshipful manner in His eyes is what is important.

I agree.

But liturgy is a group effort, not a “let’s make our own decisions on our own authority as to what is and what isn’t acceptable”, right?

Personally, I don’t care one way or the other if someone else decides to sing or not to sing in protest of their dislike of a particular hymn. So many Catholics don’t sing anyway, as a practical matter it’s a rather moot point.

What I find curious, especially from someone like BG who has seemed to want to follow Church teachings regarding liturgy, is an attitude that simply because she doesn’t like something and deems it to be heretical, than it is so…without any pronouncement from the Church at all on that particular hymn.

I find especially hypocrital the statement:

“OCP, the purveyor of this bad song, carries no ecclesial authority whatsoever. We are not obliged to follow its lead on anything because it has no power.”

However, BG would have us believe (implicitly) that her opinion should carry ecclesial authority…she’s deemed it heretical, therefor it is…and we should all agree with her.

Sorry, but no.

I see absolutely no hint from BG as to “this is a case where we can or should be able to agree to disagree”. We’re all wrong, because BG says we are wrong.

I take the tact that we should, in the absence of any clear authoritative Church pronouncements on this hymn (or any other “questionable” hymn for that matter), agree to disagree on this matter.

 

[benedictgal]

I agree.

But liturgy is a group effort, not a “let’s make our own decisions on our own authority as to what is and what isn’t acceptable”, right?

Personally, I don’t care one way or the other if someone else decides to sing or not to sing in protest of their dislike of a particular hymn. So many Catholics don’t sing anyway, as a practical matter it’s a rather moot point.

What I find curious, especially from someone like BG who has seemed to want to follow Church teachings regarding liturgy, is an attitude that simply because she doesn’t like something and deems it to be heretical, than it is so…without any pronouncement from the Church at all on that particular hymn.

I find especially hypocrital the statement:

“OCP, the purveyor of this bad song, carries no ecclesial authority whatsoever. We are not obliged to follow its lead on anything because it has no power.”

However, BG would have us believe (implicitly) that her opinion should carry ecclesial authority…she’s deemed it heretical, therefor it is…and we should all agree with her.

Sorry, but no.

I see absolutely no hint from BG as to “this is a case where we can or should be able to agree to disagree”. We’re all wrong, because BG says we are wrong.

I take the tact that we should, in the absence of any clear authoritative Church pronouncements on this hymn (or any other “questionable” hymn for that matter), agree to disagree on this matter.

First of all, there is nothing inconsistent with what I have written. Please do not accuse me of “appearing” to want to follow the liturgical norms, when I make every honest effort to do so.

OCP does not have any ecclesial authority whatsoever. It is only a publishing house with, as I have experienced it, very poor quality control regarding its music. The music is horizontal and commercially driven.

I never said that you are all wrong, Newbie. One thing is for you to be sarcastic in your opinions; it is another to make unfounded accusations.

I base my opinions on what I have read in the authoritative documents of the Church and what the Popes have written. Maybe, instead of criticizing me, you might want to actually read the documents.

You accuse me of being a “Cafeteria Catholic”. That is, with all due respect, insulting and unfounded. I am standing up for the integrity of the Mass. Redemptionis Sacramentum also states that the music used at the Mass should be of the highest quality. I will not sing a song merely because someone wanted to use it at Mass. If the song’s lyrics and style are incongruent and inconsistent with the Mass, I will not sing it. I cannot, in good conscience, sing that.

 

[Newbie2]

First of all, there is nothing inconsistent with what I have written. Please do not accuse me of “appearing” to want to follow the liturgical norms, when I make every honest effort to do so.

Please READ my posts. I know you only from your posts, not personally. I therefor can deduce only from what you’ve written. You appear to want to follow liturgical norms, and I have no reason to believe otherwise. I do not know for a fact what you do outside the internet forums, but I assume that you follow what you have written. I am not accusing you of being disingenuous, rather the opposite.

OCP does not have any ecclesial authority whatsoever.

Right, nobody disagrees with this.

I never said that you are all wrong, Newbie. One thing is for you to be sarcastic in your opinions; it is another to make unfounded accusations.

I’m sorry if youve taken my intent wrongly, but I’ve done neither. If you think I’m doing so, please report me to the moderators.

I base my opinions on what I have read in the authoritative documents of the Church and what the Popes have written. Maybe, instead of criticizing me, you might want to actually read the documents.

I’ve read them, and I still disagree with your interpretation and application. Why do you take disagreement as criticism? Methinks you’re taking this way too personally, BG, and have a very difficult time agreeing to disagree.

You accuse me of being a “Cafeteria Catholic”. That is, with all due respect, insulting and unfounded.

Yes, I would take offense at that as well. But I never accused you of such. READ my posts again. “akin to” is not the same thing as “is”. Perhaps “smacks of” (sarcastic) or “is similar to, at least to yours truly” (non-sarcastic) would have been more understandable to you?

Again, if you really think my intent is to insult you, please report me to the moderators.

I am standing up for the integrity of the Mass. Redemptionis Sacramentum also states that the music used at the Mass should be of the highest quality. I will not sing a song merely because someone wanted to use it at Mass. If the song’s lyrics and style are incongruent and inconsistent with the Mass, I will not sing it. I cannot, in good conscience, sing that.

Well, that’s fine, you can join all the other non-singing Catholics.

I simply find it curious that you would pick and choose such songs based on your own interpretation of liturgical norms, rather than that of the Bishop or Priest who may be OK with such songs, both of whom do have ecclesial authority where you do not. This in light of your stated desire to follow ecclesial authority, of which I have no doubt.

And as Regan once said, “There you go again”. While I fully support the concept of “highest quality”, you seem to be implying that you are judge and jury about what consititutes “quality”, and that everyone else is wrong who disagrees with you. I’d just once like to see you agree to disagree on this paticular matter.

I would also point out that you’ve been inconsistant in your application in the principal of “Protestant songs written for Protestant worship” as another poster pointed out

 

[Love_Divine]

This is something that I could not sing, nor will not sing, during Holy Communion. The focus is on “we” and not on “He”.

Why don’t you take over the music ministry for that mass seeing how you feel you know what’s best for communion.

However, OCP edited Alleluia, Sing to Jesus enough to remove the original Eucharistic elements of the song. That is why it is very strange to me to use it as a recessional because it does not make sense.

I hear it as the recessional a lot at weddings where the priest wouldn’t allow the Wedding March. It just has that feel to it. I’m listening to different versions of it on YouTube right now, and it seems to be played a lot slower than anything I’ve ever heard at church. That’s probably why it seems so strange to play it as a recessional. I tend to pay more attention to the musical aspect of the song rather than the words when thinking of appropriate songs. For example, a good up beat or powerful hymn has the ability to make people feel great and just want to go out and spread that good feeling.

On the other hand, I would not use Abba! Father! because it has no Eucharistic element to it and the style is not at all consistent with the sacred nature of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The only time I’ve ever heard it played at mass was during communion. Probably because it was so slow and long.

 

[The_Reginator]

This is something that I could not sing, nor will not sing, during Holy Communion. The focus is on “we” and not on “He”.

That is my problem with many songs/hymns that are used during Mass.
We are assisting the priest as he celebrates the Sacrifice of the Mass. We are there together with the Holy Ghost and the saints.

**MASS IS NOT ABOUT US. **

Let’s worship God. Keep the worship ‘vertical’. EF Masses help keep that perspective. We need to have that reinforced at all OF Masses.