Favorite Communion hymn

[tbtcom1213]

1. See Us Lord About Your Altar

Source: godsongs.net/2013/06/see-us-lord-about-your-altar.html

See us, Lord about your altar,
Though so many we are one;
Many souls by love united
In the heart of Christ, your Son.

Hear our prayers, O loving Father,
Hear in them your Son our Lord;
Hear him speak our love and worship
As we sing with one accord.

Once were seen the blood and water:
Now are seen but bread and wine;
Once in human form he suffered,
Now his form is but a sign.

Wheat and grape contain the meaning:
Food and drink he is to all;
One in him, we kneel adoring,
Gathered by his loving call.

Hear us yet: so much is needful
In our frail, disordered life;
Stay with us and tend our weakness
Till that day of no more strife.

Members of his Mystic Body
Now we know our prayer is heard,
Heard by you because your children
Have received the eternal Word.

1. Jesu Dulcis Memoria

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesu_Dulcis_Memoria

Jesu, dulcis memoria,
dans vera cordis gaudia:
sed super mel et omnia
ejus dulcis praesentia.
Nil canitur suavius,
nil auditur jucundius,
nil cogitatur dulcius,
quam Jesus Dei Filius.
Jesu, spes paenitentibus,
quam pius es petentibus!
quam bonus te quaerentibus!
sed quid invenientibus?
Nec lingua valet dicere,
nec littera exprimere:
expertus potest credere,
quid sit Jesum diligere.
Sis, Jesu, nostrum gaudium,
qui es futurus praemium:
sit nostra in te gloria,
per cuncta semper saecula.
Amen.

Translation

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy Presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
The Saviour of mankind.
O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.

 

[petra22]

Soul of My Savior

Soul of my Savior sanctify my breast,
Body of Christ, be thou my saving guest,
Blood of my Savior, bathe me in thy tide,
wash me with waters gushing from thy side.

Strength and protection may thy passion be,
O blessed Jesus, hear and answer me;
deep in thy wounds, Lord, hide and shelter me,
so shall I never, never part from thee.

Guard and defend me from the foe malign,
in death’s dread moments make me only thine;
call me and bid me come to thee on high
where I may praise thee with thy saints for ay.

 

[Cat]

Well, I think there are a lot of versions of the propers now, that don’t have to use a full choir. I guess it does seem to me that we are missing out, if the propers are listed as the first option, and yet we never hear them? I think we are missing out on the experience of Mass as described in the GIRM. It’s not like we hear them once every two months or so, I think most Catholics literally never hear them.

Several of the popular (and cheap) devotional guides print the propers, so Catholics can read them. No one has to miss out just because there is no one to sing them.

 

[Cat]

1. See Us Lord About Your Altar

Source: godsongs.net/2013/06/see-us-lord-about-your-altar.html

1. Jesu Dulcis Memoria

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesu_Dulcis_Memoria

Translation

Memories! We sang “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee” often in my Evangelical Protestant churches. I have a version in one of my piano preludes book–I’ve always been afraid to play it because I thought it was one of the Protestant hymns. So I’ll play it now, and maybe you’ll be in the congregation someday and hear it!

My favorite Communion hymns are “O Sacrament Most Holy,” and “I Am the Bread of Life” (the one written by the Sister).

As for the Silence vs. Song debate, here’s my take: I find that singing a hymn helps me to concentrate on Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. When there is silence throughout all of Holy Communion, my mind tends to wander.

So here’s my compromise: when I am playing piano for Mass, I will finish out the hymn (with the cantor), but when the hymn is finished, I stop playing. I don’t improvise or play any kind of soft meditative music, but allow the congregation to enjoy the silence. I personally love watching Father care for the Body and Blood of Christ after Communion–I appreciate his reverence and obvious love for Jesus, and I use the time to pray for my loved ones who have died.

 

[sewinggm]

Mine, too. I’d much rather “all mortal flesh [kept] silence…”

I am totally in agreement! Our choir manages to sing 10, yes 10!, hymns every Sunday! There is never time to think, much less time to pray! I am afraid we are going the way of the Protestant churches that use music as entertainment, not as a background for prayer!

 

[sewinggm]

Well, I think there are a lot of versions of the propers now, that don’t have to use a full choir. I guess it does seem to me that we are missing out, if the propers are listed as the first option, and yet we never hear them? I think we are missing out on the experience of Mass as described in the GIRM. It’s not like we hear them once every two months or so, I think most Catholics literally never hear them.

True! And the “other suitable hymn” has been taken out as an option in many places in the new translation of the Missal.

 

[Cat]

I am totally in agreement! Our choir manages to sing 10, yes 10!, hymns every Sunday! There is never time to think, much less time to pray! I am afraid we are going the way of the Protestant churches that use music as entertainment, not as a background for prayer!

Protestants absolutely do NOT use music as “entertainment.”

Music is one way that Christians, including Protestant Christians, worship God.

Music is also used to encourage and teach fellow Christians. (Many schoolteachers will attest that children can learn better when a song is used; e.g., singing the alphabet or the multiplication tables).

I hope that you will seriously re-consider your statement, which is actually quite offensive to Protestant Christians, and to ex-Protestant Christians like me.

 

[liturgyluver]

Protestants absolutely do NOT use music as “entertainment.”

Music is one way that Christians, including Protestant Christians, worship God.

Music is also used to encourage and teach fellow Christians. (Many schoolteachers will attest that children can learn better when a song is used; e.g., singing the alphabet or the multiplication tables).

I hope that you will seriously re-consider your statement, which is actually quite offensive to Protestant Christians, and to ex-Protestant Christians like me.

Cat, I absolutely agree with you. My observation is that the hymns that most Protestants use are more carefully scheduled to tie in with their lectionaries than those at many Catholic churches, and people actually sing because hymnody is an integral part of the service.

If anyone might be accused of using music as “entertainment” it is those many Catholics who continually assert - contrary to the Church’s teachings on music in the liturgy and the GIRM, incidently - that music is an optional extra, that they don’t have to sing if they don’t want to, and that they just prefer to listen. I have seen these type of statements on CAF countless times.

 

[ProVobis]

If anyone might be accused of using music as “entertainment” it is those many Catholics who continually assert - contrary to the Church’s teachings on music in the liturgy and the GIRM, incidently - that music is an optional extra, that they don’t have to sing if they don’t want to, and that they just prefer to listen. I have seen these type of statements on CAF countless times.

LL, I think you give us far too much credit. It seems most despise the music altogether, except maybe in the Spanish Mass where most hand clap to the beat, whether they know the words to the song or not.

One thing IMO shouldn’t be overlooked. With the new translation of the English Mass, the Church obsoleted a lot of good music, especially that written by Richard Proulx, Peter Jones et al. I noticed toward the end, many more were singing than they are today. Maybe the new music just doesn’t sit well with those over 60. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

 

[liturgyluver]

LL, I think you give us far too much credit. It seems most despise the music altogether, except maybe in the Spanish Mass where most hand clap to the beat, whether they know the words to the song or not.

One thing IMO shouldn’t be overlooked. With the new translation of the English Mass, the Church obsoleted a lot of good music, especially that written by Richard Proulx, Peter Jones et al. I noticed toward the end, many more were singing than they are today. Maybe the new music just doesn’t sit well with those over 60. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Perhaps you are right - the average age of English Catholic congregations is 39 and I notice more younger people singing. Go to Germany though and everyone sings - though the congregations are older.

 

[freepeople8]

If we’ll ever hear those, Propers…I doubt. I assume expect can be a virtue even though!

---

madewell

 

[pianistclare]

Could we just say that people tend to think “good” church music is the music they grew up with?
There is wonderfully good and incredibly bad music in every era.
Maybe the music at your parish is not your cup of tea.
Maybe your music director is a volunteer with good intentions but no real liturgy training.
Maybe the director at the other church is a professionally trained musician with a real budget.

Maybe we should all just attend the Mass to meet Christ in the Eucharist and not worry so much about whether the music is to our liking.
I know it’s hard to get past horrible music…BELIEVE ME, I know.

But in the end, it’s not really about the music so much.
When it’s good it’s a bonus.
When it’s bad it can distract us from the Lord’s presence.
When it’s absent, it can be good or bad depending on our disposition.
But even when it’s bad…**Jesus is still present. **
God is merciful.

Peace,
pianistclare

 

[Elizium23]

Could we just say that people tend to think “good” church music is the music they grew up with?

No.

I grew up with “folk Masses” and taught myself to sing all the Haagen-Dasz, OCP, NALR anthems of the 70s and 80s. This kind of stuff was inseparable from my experience of the Mass and it still persists. Yet I left the Church for 11 years and a peculiar thing happened shortly after my return. I began to educate myself about liturgy and it was as if scales fell from my eyes. I saw just how greatly the Mass had been abused in the past 50 years. I read the words of Sacrosanctum Concilium and other documents with alacrity, and I began to realize just what a treasury we were all missing out on. For 1,950 years the Church cultivated the highest form of sacred art and then she unleashed on us the Folk Mass. I can forgive her, but I can’t forgive the architects of this movement.

 

[jeannetherese]

Panis Angelicus

 

[pianistclare]

No.

I grew up with “folk Masses” and taught myself to sing all the Haagen-Dasz, OCP, NALR anthems of the 70s and 80s. This kind of stuff was inseparable from my experience of the Mass and it still persists. Yet I left the Church for 11 years and a peculiar thing happened shortly after my return. I began to educate myself about liturgy and it was as if scales fell from my eyes. I saw just how greatly the Mass had been abused in the past 50 years. I read the words of Sacrosanctum Concilium and other documents with alacrity, and I began to realize just what a treasury we were all missing out on. For 1,950 years the Church cultivated the highest form of sacred art and then she unleashed on us the Folk Mass. I can forgive her, but I can’t forgive the architects of this movement.

OK, so in your case, all the music your grew up with is what you don’t like.
Same deal.
Same sentiment applies.
If we read the documents, we are to participate fully. Not just if you feel good about it.
Many people go to Mass wounded and hurting. They still fully participate.
Singing is a prayer.
We wouldn’t consider standing at the gate of heaven and saying “I don’t like this music, so I’m not gonna sing”. Some will say that the modern Masses are not heavenly.
That’s a perception based on our own prejudices/preferences. Hey, I’m guilty of it myself.
I hate the newer Mass settings. But it’s not for me to say. That’s the pastor’s job, and if, for whatever reason he thinks it’s OK, I’m to show up, pray, participate, and be part of the Church.

Make no mistake, yes, there ARE better choices. But we don’t necessarily know the training or lack of training that our liturgists have.

And can we lay off OCP? Their Responsorial Psalm books are excellent, and are composed in a chant style. By conservative composers.

Peace
pianist

 

[Aran_Houlihan]

mine are

Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium

Tantum Ergo

Panis Angelicus

In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Introibo ad altare Dei. R: Ad deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.

 

[markomalley]

silence.

100% without a doubt…the less so-called music in a Mass, the better (that’s why I absolutely adore going to the Low Mass)

 

[27lw]

Silence?
Hopefully that would include the squeaking and soft scraping of kneelers on hard-surface flooring…divine sounds indeed.

 

[markomalley]

Silence?
Hopefully that would include the squeaking and soft scraping of kneelers on hard-surface flooring…divine sounds indeed.

And I’ll even go so far as to say, if I’m sitting close enough, to hear the priest repeatedly saying “Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.”

But no St Louis Jesuit music anywhere to be heard.

(And no seeing young teenage girls coming to communion wearing half-length t-shirts or miniskirts, no seeing teenaged boys with their pants at their knees, and no middle-aged men wearing shorts to Mass with ball caps firmly on their heads as they approach Holy Communion in the middle of January, either! – but that’s a different thread)

 

[ProVobis]

And I’ll even go so far as to say, if I’m sitting close enough, to hear the priest repeatedly saying “Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam tuam in vitam aeternam. Amen.”

Indeed. That’s music enough.