Papal Mass in DC (was it me or was the music crazy?)

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AdvanceAlways said:
Can none of you for one minute think about what we witnessed today!? The Holy Father was in our presence celebrating the Sacred Liturgy! Nothing is EVER good enough for some folks here. Can we not be grateful for what we witnessed!?

Was the music amazing? No.
Was God with us? Yes.

Many of us will never see this again, and will never again be part of something so awe inspiring.
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I heard you AdvanceAlways. Let stop this everyone. We need to enjoy the moment. I don’t think Holy Father wants us to debate among ourselves. What is done is done. Focus on the positive side of this whole thing. I do believe someone turn a new leaf today after watching and attending the MASS. Someone turn his/her life to Christ. Do not spoil their moments of conversion. God bless you all and may God continue to be with our Holy Father and all the Clergymen and Religious men and women. Amen!
 
Well, I have mixed feelings about the music. I think that in principle the multi-cultural thing is fine, but I also think they over-emphasized it, and a few of the selections were awful. Particularly the Responsorial Psalm, and the two songs during the Offertory (as Raymond Arroyo said, they had a sort of Amazon flavor to them, and I found them very jarring and inappropriate). Finally there was (I think) the first song during Communion (by the Gospel choir). That was out of place IMO and I can imagine it would have been very distracting to someone there.

On the other hand, there were a number of beautifully done pieces (mostly the classical hymns we’re all used to). And of course, Panis Angelicum.

Overall, I think there’s room for criticism of the music selections, but some of the stuff appearing on this board is extremely overboard. Yes, there’s a lot of room for improvement, but a “disgrace” and a “humiliation of B16”? Come on now. I agree with AdvanceAlways’ post #100; I think we should be setting aside our bitterness and stressing the positive on this glorious day for the Church in America.
Not only the music, but pro-abortion politicians recieved Communion! It’s time for the hierarchy, from the Holy Father to the parish priest to stop acting “buddy buddy” and grandpa like and use their proper authority to do what is right for these politician’s souls and stop this grave standal within the Church.
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Before you bash the Holy Father and the hierarchy you might want to take notice that this was a story before the Mass. Some pro-aborts expressed their wish to receive Communion the next day (this was yesterday), but it is not certain how successful they were. To my knowledge there’s no evidence that any of these people received. Who knows, maybe the Pope and his assistant priests stood up to the pro-aborts and refused the Communion. Better to give them the benefit of the doubt than to bash them, IMHO.
Horrible music for the most part. I think the worst was the psalm setting. The Offetory was interesting, but not appropriate for Mass. I didn’t hear anything else, couldn’t stand it.
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Well, at least there were no liturgical dancers . . . were there?
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No.
 
It wasn’t just you. The pope was probably embarrassed for us in the US. Protestant music catering to culture. I wonder what choirs of angels really sound like(and where they keep their bells).

The pope should have turned ad orientem and hummed Mozarts Missa Solemnis to himself… 😃
 
The music was embarrassing. The pope has written in a couple of his books (Feast of Faith,A New Song for the Lord) about the problems of modern church music: how people get carried away with “creativity” in church,how modern classical music has backed itself into an elitist ghetto,and how popular music styles are not appropriate for use in the sacred liturgy. It’s almost like the music director was wanted to torment the pope. The song at the beginning of the mass had such a formless,ungainly,ugly melody,as if the composer intended to express the dreary,bad faith characteristic of the modern world,or to turn people off from Catholicism. The tribal flute and drum music during the blessing of the Eucharist made it seem like the pope was engaged in some kind of pagan ritual. It had a comically surreal effect.
 
peacelight said:
I heard you AdvanceAlways. Let stop this everyone. We need to enjoy the moment. I don’t think Holy Father wants us to debate among ourselves. What is done is done. Focus on the positive side of this whole thing. I do believe someone turn a new leaf today after watching and attending the MASS. Someone turn his/her life to Christ. Do not spoil their moments of conversion. God bless you all and may God continue to be with our Holy Father and all the Clergymen and Religious men and women. Amen!
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I agree… Music is almost beside the point. Our pope’s visit should really be a time of celebration. I think some of us (me included here) drift a little too easily into a critical mindset. As I said previously, he really did have a wonderful and timely homily from what I have heard. I’m very happy for his visit and look forward to the replays on EWTN tonight.
 
I missed the very begining but I did catch most of the Mass. I thought it was amazing because it was a Papal Mass. However, 2 things I did notice.
  1. Not only did they clap during Holy Communion but they also clapped after the Pope’s Homily. Clapping during Mass is definitely inappropiate.
  2. The music was a mess, especially during Holy Communion. WWWAAAYYYY too busy.
Like another poster I too caught the Pope’s side look. Not only did he look surprised but I thought he also looked unhappy. It was a complete contrast from yesterday at the White House and at the meeting with the bishops. He was completely thrilled yesterday. Every time they showed him he looked happy and content, not so today. Those are the two things that made me pause. I was thrilled to be able to spiritually be at a Papal Mass that was here in the US. 😃 That does not happen to often. For that fact alone we should all rejoice and be glad! 👍
 
Sabda said:
Like another poster I too caught the Pope’s side look. Not only did he look surprised but I thought he also looked unhappy.
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I missed this… Can you post time stamps from the EWTN video?
 
Aragorn1 said:
I missed this… Can you post time stamps from the EWTN video?
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Sorry, but I don’t know how to do that. 😦 I know they are playing re-runs of the Mass tonight. My mom intends to catch it as she was at work during the Mass. Maybe someone else on here can do that? I don’t know who Pope Benedict was looking at but it was clear he was shooting someone a side ways look.
 
Sabda said:
Sorry, but I don’t know how to do that. 😦 I know they are playing re-runs of the Mass tonight. My mom intends to catch it as she was at work during the Mass. Maybe someone else on here can do that? I don’t know who Pope Benedict was looking at but it was clear he was shooting someone a side ways look.
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The priest at his right looked at him first, and then he returned the look. Was the salt-and-pepper person at his right Marini? I don’t think I’m spelling the name right. The priest at his right also kept his hands folded over his mouth and lower part of his face as if he were ashamed, or afraid, during the consecration and Canon. It sure was clear body language.
 
Maybe there will be goodness come out of this. Now he knows first-hand how we have lost our sense of the sacred with music in this country during Mass. I hope it lights an even greater fire under him, as opposed to wearing him down.

I wonder what they have planned for Yankee Stadium? I know these huge outdoor Masses give a lot of people a chance to attend Mass with our Holy Father, but I personally detest them. The “planners” of such events always seem to turn them into huge, promotional events. When you think about it, aside from the logistics of seating, creating the sanctuary and the sound system, the Mass itself should be very simple - it doesn’t need to be orchestrated or choreographed. Bring in a beautiful chanting choir, let them sing what they usually sing, and you’re done. The Pope has said enough Masses - he knows what to do.

sigh. God help our American Church.
 
We’ve had a few posters on this forum thread that have expressed displeasure that others are airing their concerns about the music at the Papal Mass. It’s akin to 'Why talk about the collapse of the housing market, when there are starving children in the world?" They have written that we should not speak up, and simply enjoy the beauty of the moment as our Holy Father celebrates the Mass…

2 things…
  1. I believe it is possible to enjoy fully the Mass itself and the spiritual graces present when 50,000 of our fellow human beings demonstrate their faith in Christ Jesus and His Church - AND point out things that can be improved - especially since THIS Pope has requested more reverence and beauty at the Mass and has decried the banality of much contemporary liturgical music.
  2. This forum thread has in it’s title “***was it me or was the music crazy?”***So, this is a thread to discuss how the liturgical music could be better than what we heard today.
    If you are offended that we are discussing this, I urge you to start a NEW thread with the title: “The Mass today was PERFECT!”
In sincerity - Dominus Vobiscus!
 
I watched the entire Mass. The music was not very reverant. I thought the music sounded so bad it sounded off tune. My daughter who is in the 6th grade had a concert this week and their band could play better than them! Just a disgrace. I wish they would get away from the Folk style and go to the reverant and tradition music. Very sad. All I have to say is thank God :gopray2: for Placido. He can sing anytime as far as I am concerned. The Pope seemed very pleased with him!
 
Sabda has it right, I think. I love this pope. I’ve read a good deal of his writing, including his encyclical on hope. I love the mass, too, but I’m a musician. I pray in music as well as in words. What I saw today coming from that planning committee was a series of political statements hung on to that Mass at the expense of our Pope and all of us, including the people being “recognized” one way and another. In fact it was a working definition of the kind of indulgent subjectivism that the pope warned the bishops against in his address to them at the basilica. We all know the rule: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.
 
I want to second Qubica. The Holy Father spoke yesterday about the evil of relativism. That is a contributing factor to many of the problems in the Church in America. “Can’t we all just get along?”

I delight in the fact that so many of the Faithful were able to attend the Papal Mass. Any time the Eucharist is celebrated, the whole world (and those in Purgatory) benefits. That the Holy Father is here in this country is a cause for rejoicing. But there was, at the very least, a lapse in propriety.

Such gatherings are prime time for the Evil One and his cohorts. He is not resting; he knows that most good Catholics want so very much for this Pope and this visit to inspire and convert and heal. So he works in both small and large ways to transform what was intended to be and what possibly could have been a glorious event into what it was. Not everyone will have noticed or will care about the music deficit. But it was there and so it goes.
 
Brownginger said:
I pray that the Holy Father did not approve. I also pray that, if he did not approve, he will publicly let his feelings be known. Sometimes I just cannot bring myself to go to Sunday Mass, because I know that I will be scandalized by the music. If Pope Benedict XVI will only tell the American bishops that this is totally unacceptable and if the media is able to get that message to those who witnessed this blasphemy, perhaps some good will have come from it.

To go from the perfection of the governmental ceremony yesterday to this embarrassing ceremony constructed by liturgists is astonishing. The people at the White House were better able to understand the Holy Father than his own people were. This is a very sad day, brightened only by the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and by the presence of the Holy Father. Actually, that is quite a lot:)
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This is SO well-written…thank you.
I do not, however, believe that the Holy Father will PUBLICLY say something in rebuke; as it would give the media too much ammunition to cry " Catholics fight over their own Liturgy!!!"
I DO believe the Holy Father will STRONGLY rebuke them in private…in fact, I think that much of his intent in coming here (as far as the American Bishops are concerned) is TO rebuke them in private and urge them back on track.

My 5 year old son, while we were partaking in today’s live Liturgy from our living room…jumped up at the offertory “calypso” song, and began to “boogie” all around the room. So…is THIS what Sacred Music during Mass is supposed to inspire?!? When I asked him if the music helped him to think of Jesus in the Eucharist, he LAUGHED, and said, “NO…it makes me think of dancing”…that said it ALL for me.
 
“frown” on what happened in New York this morning.
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Sorry…but I keep seeing “New York” in the posts.

Just wanted to clarify that the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father today was at Nationals Park in Washington, DC 🙂
 
frommi said:
Really…because the Pope was entering in procession during a LITURGY…it was part of the service…

Again, I’m still looking for someone to find a rubrical abuse that occurred during today’s mass. Not something that you don’t agree with the bishops on…an actual abuse.
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Firstly, was He processing last night during a LITURGY…because it was my understanding that He was in the Basilica to hold Vespers…or “evening prayers”…I did not see it…so please clarify.

Also, as to an actual abuse at today’s Liturgy…how about ADDING WORDS to the Kyrie?!?
 
mom_of_ten said:
My 5 year old son, while we were partaking in today’s live Liturgy from our living room…jumped up at the offertory “calypso” song, and began to “boogie” all around the room. So…is THIS what Sacred Music during Mass is supposed to inspire?!? When I asked him if the music helped him to think of Jesus in the Eucharist, he LAUGHED, and said, “NO…it makes me think of dancing”…that said it ALL for me.
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My friends five yr old son did the same thing!! She punished him for it, I told her that that is what the music invited him to do. During the foot stomping, hand clapping gospel song, it took everything I had not to get up and start “boogying” myself.

I had to keep reminding myself that it was time for prayer and meditation on the True Presence. BTW …Isn’t that what the music is supposed to do? I felt like it was hindering, not helping.
 
" What I saw today coming from that planning committee was a series of political statements hung on to that Mass at the expense of our Pope and all of us, including the people being “recognized” one way and another. "

Pro, it *was *political! Are you including the first reading? The young woman read the reading, which was about the gift of tongues, in Spanish, and at the end she especially enunciated the words, Palabra de Dios and gave this glance and a little defiant toss of her head that showed that somehow she was making a statement about the use of Spanish. It was pure politics!

I’m not blaming her, I’m blaming the person who said, oh, wow, this reading is on speaking different tongues being a gift, let’s give this to a Spanish speaking person, make it ‘meaningful.’ Yeah, put it in a political context. The reader herself, she might not really be aware of it. I myself live in a Spanish speaking country and the shoe is on the other foot for me and I’ve given many a defiant little toss of the head upon not being understood for the hundreth time and if I had to read that reading I’m sure I’d spin it, too.

Wuerl with that opening ‘speech’ after mass had already begun (!) was another part of it. He’s an awfully political man–you can ask anybody from Pittsburgh. Partly it was his uneasy relation to the Pro-life movement and partly his continual association with the Democratic party establishment.

But what else makes you call it political? At one point I felt the Holy Father had been kidnapped by the Democratic Party and he might any minute jump up and run out! He honestly looked as if he might, couple of times. He looked like a man who’d been shangehied and knew it.

I
 
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