'He's got the whole world in his hands' sung after communion

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callmeChris

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Long story short; I’ve pretty much had it with my parish. Now we have this lady who brings her guitar and after communion, the service goes from reverent church music to everyone clapping an d singing ‘He’s got he whole world in his hands’ :mad: can’t the most vital part of the Holy mass conclude in PEACE???
 
I feel your pain and sympathize. Maybe soon we can return to the awe and reverence that should be acorded to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
 
callmeChris said:
Long story short; I’ve pretty much had it with my parish. Now we have this lady who brings her guitar and after communion, the service goes from reverent church music to everyone clapping an d singing ‘He’s got he whole world in his hands’ :mad: can’t the most vital part of the Holy mass conclude in PEACE???
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How dreadful: that sort of music is completely unsuitable for the liturgy. I love hymns - traditional ones - but not during Communion as it is a terrible distraction. I don’t mind a (ggod) hymn after communion once everyone has received and there has been a good silence.
 
Does everyone object to this song only during the liturgy, or just in general?

Because if it’s just in general, I don’t see the big deal with a happy, uplifting song like that! Some people are just dedicated to avoiding celebration - or even smiling, for that matter, at all costs.

However, if it’s a liturgy thing then that’s a different story.
 
Is there something not in line with Catholic teaching in the words of 'He’s got the whole world in his hands’?
 
shalom

The liturgy committee is responsible for organizing and choosing suitable hymns for the daily Mass. It is not appropriate for such a hymn which is entertaining rather than liturgical. The celebrant should be briefed about the hymns and all before mass. Unsure of the situation, but if the lady is doing it without any consultation, the catechist or whoever responsible for the hymns should be brave enough to stop her and let the celebrant aware of the situation. But if she is acknowledged, the celebrant is responsible for such a mistake. The celebrant and those responsible for hymns as in this case, should make sure the sacredness of the sacrifice is properly and reverently celebrated.

God bless.
 
Yep, that one would bug me also.

Particularly during or immediately post-communion. I don’t mind the singing of a hymn during communion as long as they are appropriate contextually. Sometimes I will join along, but mostly I will just pray silently.

However, hymns which, not necessarily wrong, are certainly not reverential have no place in the liturgy in my view, particularly during that time in the Mass. The only possible exception I can see would be if this was a Mass held for elementary school children or something along those lines.
 
There is no objection to a hymn or other type of sacred music after Holy Communion. The choice of music is a matter of taste. While I’d prefer Palestrina, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” was a favourite of Blessed John Paul II.
 
jimrob said:
There is no objection to a hymn or other type of sacred music after Holy Communion. The choice of music is a matter of taste. While I’d prefer Palestrina, “He’s got the whole world in his hands” was a favourite of Blessed John Paul II.
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It’s a great song. For 5 year olds. There absolutely is an issue with singing songs like this during the Mass.

I can’t believe our standards have dropped this low.
 
LOL that’s the song that Pastor Arnold Murry closes his marvelous and informative ‘Shepard’s Chapel’ TV bible series with. Yeah I agree that it’s not suitable for Mass but that just mho based on over 50 years of attending masses.

Shepard’s Chapel … ‘where you learn the bible chapter by chapter verse by verse.’ 👍
 
Hokomai said:
Is there something not in line with Catholic teaching in the words of 'He’s got the whole world in his hands’?
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Nothing objectionable about those words…but…The Eucharist is the most sacred part of the Mass and should have silence, and then perhaps a hymn that is in keeping with that sacred and solemn moment.
 
Dorothy said:
Nothing objectionable about those words…but…The Eucharist is the most sacred part of the Mass and should have silence, and then perhaps a hymn that is in keeping with that sacred and solemn moment.
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I prefer no music at all and so I attend a mass that starts at 6:30 AM and contains no music. The church we go to has other masses later in the day that have hymns but I like the 6:30 AM one.
 
TheMc said:
It’s a great song. For 5 year olds. There absolutely is an issue with singing songs like this during the Mass.

I can’t believe our standards have dropped this low.
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Bah humbug! If the Council of Trent had had there way we’d have no polyphonic music and “He’s got the whole world in his hands” would be about all we were allowed. Considering that your preference in music is appropriate and that there is an issue with other styles of music is arrogance in the extreme. The music isn’t for your benefit. To the best of my knowledge, God has never expressed a preference.
 
jimrob said:
Bah humbug! If the Council of Trent had had there way we’d have no polyphonic music and “He’s got the whole world in his hands” would be about all we were allowed. Considering that your preference in music is appropriate and that there is an issue with other styles of music is arrogance in the extreme. The music isn’t for your benefit. To the best of my knowledge, God has never expressed a preference.
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Bah humbug!

The church has rules music and they are there for a reason.

“God has never expressed a preference.” ? My gosh. He put his church here for us. We should obey her.
 
Sacrosanctum Concilium; Chapter 7

“114. The treasure of sacred music is to be preserved and fostered with great care. Choirs must be diligently promoted, especially in cathedral churches; but bishops and other pastors of souls must be at pains to ensure that, whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute that active participation which is rightly theirs, as laid down in Art. 28 and 30.”

"115. Great importance is to be attached to the teaching and practice of music in seminaries, in the novitiates and houses of study of religious of both sexes, and also in other Catholic institutions and schools. To impart this instruction, teachers are to be carefully trained and put in charge of the teaching of sacred music.

It is desirable also to found higher institutes of sacred music whenever this can be done.

Composers and singers, especially boys, must also be given a genuine liturgical training."

“116. The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given **pride of place **in liturgical services.”

Please read the entire document if you have yet to do so.
Link:
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

I have a hard time rectifying our “Glory and Praise” Hymn Book with the wishes of the Council Fathers.

Pax Christi
 
FYI -

“He’s got the whole world in his hands” is not “70s music”…its an American spiritual that was first published in the late 1920s.

Though not my personal taste (I prefer more traditional hymns), I’d like to hear, specifically, what rules “he’s got the whole world in his hands” violates. Its not dance music. It doesn’t require the use of modern instruments unsuitable to worship, or anything of the nature.

As I said, I prefer more traditional hymns…so in some sense, I wouldn’t necessarily appreciate the specific hymn in question being played. HOWEVER, I’m leery of siding with some who hold that same viewpoint, because, give them too much room, and we’ll have nothing but unaccompanied Gregorian chants with no congregational participation whatsoever.

Music at mass is a wonderful thing.
 
The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, other things being equal, it should be given **pride of place **in liturgical services."
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“Pride of place” not “use to the exclusion of all others”.

If we only had Gregorian Chants, we would similarly be surrendering a number of great old hymns - For all the Saints, O God our Help in Ages Past, Holy God we Praise thy Name, Crown Him with Many Crowns, etc.

Would you find that desirable?
 
jwinch2 said:
I don’t mind the singing of a hymn during communion as long as they are appropriate contextually. Sometimes I will join along, but mostly I will just pray silently.
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Same here. By the time I’m finished praying, the hymn is usually wrapping up.

I think it’d be great if we sang We Are One Body every time. It doesn’t get much more appropriate than that.
 
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