Easter Mass Question

[Magnavox]

Today at the Easter Mass the “Hymn to the Victor” was sung. The one line that troubles me is this …Christ, who only is sinless…

Now apparently someone forgot to tell the writer of this that Christ isn’t the only one that was sinless. They forget one of the key Marian doctrines. No wonder Catholics are confused on what they are supposed to believe.

This concern anybody but me?

 

[Just_One_Touch]

Well, there are quite a few songs by protestants that are sung at Mass, but it is strange that something like that got in there.

 

[MusicMan]

Mary was born without the Original Sin of Adam. That doesn’t mean that its existence in our world didn’t corrupt her. After all, our Eastern brethren believe that the corruption of Sin our world is what caused her Earthy body to die.

 

[JamestheOlder]

Could not find a hymn titled “Hymn to the Victor”. Any variation in the title?

Also, good point about it possibly originated as a Protestant hymn; Catholics believe that Mary was sinless during her life. This is why her body was taken to heaven when she fell asleep (cf. Church of the Dormition, Jerusalem).

As to Mary considered sinless during her life, refer to:
catholic.com/library/Immaculate_Conception_and_Assum.asp

 

[TheMc]

Today at the Easter Mass the “Hymn to the Victor” was sung. The one line that troubles me is this …Christ, who only is sinless…

Now apparently someone forgot to tell the writer of this that Christ isn’t the only one that was sinless. They forget one of the key Marian doctrines. No wonder Catholics are confused on what they are supposed to believe.

This concern anybody but me?

Yes, this is concerning. People need to actually check the words of hymns before they play and sing them. Unfortunately, just because they are in a hymnal doesn’t mean they are heresey-free. Don’t even get me started.

 

[Magnavox]

It was not in a hymnal, it was in the missal. It was under “Sequence”…the cantor sang it before the gospel reading.

 

[TheMc]

It was not in a hymnal, it was in the missal. It was under “Sequence”…the cantor sang it before the gospel reading.

That makes it even worse. There is one text for the sequence, Victimae paschali laudes, or it’s english equivalent. You may not add a hymn or other text in place of the sequence.

 

[Magnavox]

That makes it even worse. There is one text for the sequence, Victimae paschali laudes, or it’s english equivalent. You may not add a hymn or other text in place of the sequence.

The missal I have says

Victimae paschali laudes [Hymn to the Victor]

It reads…and this is what was sang.

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless
Reconciles sinners to the Father.

The part that says, Christ is only sinless. This was the part that I found not true.

 

[MarkThompson]

The missal I have says

Victimae paschali laudes [Hymn to the Victor]

It reads…and this is what was sang.

Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless
Reconciles sinners to the Father.

The part that says, Christ is only sinless. This was the part that I found not true.

This text is in the Catholic Lectionary for Mass (see here), so it is what it is – and it is certainly a licit text to sing or read (as the English option). For what it’s worth, the Latin only says “Christus innocens” – “Christ [who is] innocent.” The translation is not good, but I guess I consider it on a par with Romans 3:23 (“All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”) which Protestants take too far when they say, “Hey, look! There is no special exception carved out for Mary!” Texts, especially poetic, mystical, or meditative texts, don’t always need caveats and footnotes and exceptions like they were a passage out of Aquinas.

 

[PKinsale]

Well, for one thing, that is not a very good translation. The Latin words of that line are “Christus innocens.”

(And I see Mark Thompson beat me on this by two minutes.)

 

[JamestheOlder]

From the following verse, may we consider that “the innocent Lamb” is being sacrificed for the “sinners”? It could be the “only” in the translation refers not to “the only one”, but perhaps to “an innocent one”. ???