Worst Hymn/Song Lyric Heard at Mass

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IPTgrad said:
“To Be Your Bread”

I am normally, gratefully, immune to deep adverse reaction to songs until we started using this one at Mass. This song makes me want to run screaming. It sounds like it is from the musical “Oklahoma.” I can picture cows & horses & a dance number going with it… all this in a “hymn” supposedly about the Eucharist.

Is anyone else offended by “To be Your Bread” by David Haas.
The chorus is (think of an Oklahoma-style melody):
*“To be your bread now, be your wine now, *
*Lord come and change us, *
*to be a sign of your love. *
*Blest and broken, *
*poured and flowing, *
*gift that you gave us, *
to be your body once again.”

What does it even mean? Please pray for me that I can remain composed the next time it is sung. I feel it is a cross I have been given… a penance of some sort to remain calmly in the pew. Yikes! Anyone else?
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It annoys me. I can see through at what Haas might have meant, but the lyric states that Jesus is more or less expected to accept us as bread and wine. Illogical. He is not in need of us; rather, we are in need of Him. It also looks written to appeal to a wide variety of liturgical denominations, not the One True Church, where it’s Jesus, BBSD after the consecration, but also as a selling point for low or broad church Episcopalians, Lutherans, and some Methodists, who aren’t so inclined.

I a still reeling from this morning’s so-called Family Mass hootenany of “Tree of Life” and “Lord of the Dance”. Couldn’t stop an image of Michael Flatey dancing around a tree from appearing in my head. To tell more would give away my parish.
 
1. Jesus, You’re the one I love; You’re the one I know. You’re the one who makes me strong, Spirit in my soul.
  1. From the clouds of yesterday, through the night of pain,
    teach me, Lord, to know Your way, know it once again.
Bread, blessed and broken for us all,
symbol of Your love from the grain so tall.
Bread, blessed and broken for us all,
bread of life You give to us, bread of life for all.
  1. May the bread we break today, may the cup we share,
    lift the burdens of our hearts, lift them ev’rywhere.
  2. Passing on to each of us a measure of Your love,
    love to make us whole again, as we share Your Word.
  3. Jesus, You’re the one I love; You’re the one I know.
    You’re the one who makes me strong, Spirit in my soul.
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Have Maven Strategies and DDB branched out from the likes of McDonald’s and started a new marketing campaign for the Church??? Or have Haugen and Haas set up a stable of young, energetic lyricists, longing for the days when Neil Sedaka and Carly Simon sat in stuffy New York office and pounded out quicky pop music???
 
I had a “Haugen Moment” at Mass yesterday! The music person made the ghastly mistake of choosing “Remember Me” for one of the hymns. I had never sung this before - I never will attempt it again. It was the most un-sing-able thing I have ever heard.

Now, I am fairly musical, always sing out at Mass, and quite often get tunes stuck in my head even after hearing them only once. This song…I can’t even begin to tell you. I don’t have a clue what the melody was meant to be. I read music, and I was trying to sing this while reading the music which I often do with an unfamiliar hymn. This one was all over the map, copletely illogically, with its rhythm and notes. Note that I didn’t know who wrote it when it started. But after two phrases of hopelessly trying to make sense out of it, I looked down at the bottom of the page where the composers and lyricists are written and, you guessed it, Haugen had written it!

I listened to one more phrase, closed the hymnal, and was done. Awful, just awful.
 
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catsrus:
I detest that “Mary, did you know…” song.
It always shows up at Christmas.
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I’m sorry to hear that because I really like it and so don’t most of my fellow Catholics.
 
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Jon_Jay2:
I’m sorry to hear that because I really like it and so don’t most of my fellow Catholics.
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Colin Donovan from EWTN commented about some of the problems with the lyrics to MARY DID YOU KNOW? being sung at mass:

"Its coming out of a theological tradition that tends to reduce Mary to an ordinary mother and wife, and eliminates her perpetual virginity and sinlessness. While the Church has not formally taught that Mary had detailed knowledge of Her Son’s future, Our Lady would at minimum have known the Scriptures and what the Messiah would do and suffer. She certainly knew, from the Annunciation, Who her Son was and what His mission would be. In addition, a number of saints have had highly developed mystical lives from an early age (4, 5, 6 etc.), so it would be incongruous to suggest that Mary did not have mystical insights into the Scriptures, or even private revelations regarding the Divine plan. Indeed, later Catholic mystics affirm this conclusion of logic.

Particularly troublesome is the verse, “Did you know that your baby boy, has come to make you new; this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you.” It at least calls into question the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which teaches that in virtue of the Redemption, Mary was conceived without original sin. This occured about 44 years prior to Calvary. So, while this verse correctly alludes to her need for redemption (in the sense understood by the Church as preservation from falling), it places it in the future, rather than the past (with regard to original sin and personal sin), and the present (she was also preserved from falling at every moment of her life). "
 
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MVH:
On another issue, does anyone know where there is a Tridentine parish in the Diocese of Youngstown or Diocese of Cleveland? I would love to attend an all Latin Mass at least once in my life.
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Diocese of Cleveland:

Immaculate Conception on Superior

High Mass noon every Sunday, low mass 1st and 3rd Sunday at 7 am.

St. Rose of Lima on Detroit

High Mass 10am every Sunday.

There is also an SSPX (St Peregrine) in Cleveland, and and SSPV in North Royalton.

There are also a lot or Eastern Churches in the Cleveland area. Too many Byzantine to name, and at least two Maronite (St Maron in Cleveland, and one on Rt 21 in Fairlawn, I think).
 
Forest-Pine said:
****http://www.ecclesiadei.org/region05.htm This webpage says it is a listing of all approved Latin masses as of Jan 2005. It has both dioceses on the page I referenced above.
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While SSPX masses are Tridentine in nature, they are also illicit and schismatic. Why in the world would you encourage MVH to go there when there are so many legitimate options instead?

As I said in my previous post, MVH, you have several choices within the Youngstown and Cleveland dioceses. If you want to see what it would have been like in America pre-Vatican II, go to one of the four approved Tridentine masses on the link above (2 in Cleveland, 1 in Akron, 1 in Vienna). Or, as Axolotl points out, the Eastern Catholic churches are in full communion with Rome while keeping the older, Eastern form of worship (like the Orthodox, who are not in communion with Rome). Depending on which Rite the Eastern Catholic Church adheres to, you might even hear the Mass in Aramaic (Jesus’ native tongue)! There are English-speaking Eastern masses as well. In the Eastern Church it is called Divine Liturgy.

The SSPX masses are held by sedavacantists who believe there isn’t a legitimate pope. You heard that right, they think Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI are imposters. Needless to say, their community is schismatic and not in need of your support. I believe they caused quite a ruckus on the forums and sedavacantism isn’t up for discussion. There are approved Tridentine masses in your area. I’m sure the communities of Immaculate Conception, St. Rose of Lima, St. Mary, or Queen of the Holy Rosary would love to have you. Don’t forget to cover your head! 🙂 (Assuming you are a woman…)
 
We were forced to sing “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden” by some woman country singer while I was in sixth grade for our class mass.

How bad does bad get ???
 
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AuntMartha:
Here’s an oldie you may also remember. It’s pretty awful. Be prepared. I often get this one stuck in my mind, even though I haven’t heard it in about 35 years.

“This is my body,
Given for your freedom,
This is my blood,
that was shed for all of mankind.
Take all and eat,
'Til the day of my return”

The main reason it was so bad was because (at least at our church) it was sung in a dance-y, hyped-up way, almost like a polka or folk dance or something. My sisters and I would laugh afterwards and do a Rockettes kick line while singing it.
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Was reading this thread and nearly fell out of my chair. This was one of the songs we sang for our First Communion, in 1969.
 
Shine Jesus Shine is my favorite praise and worship song (for CCD, not during Mass), runner up is Days of Elijah. We based an entire Advent Retreat for elementary CCD on this song. by the way, I also like Awesome God. The point is songs that are great for youth rallies, children’s programs and the like are NOT necessarily or usually liturgical. Just being theologically correct (or at least not overtly heretical) is not enought, to be liturgical the melody, lyrics, voices and instruments must serve the liturgy, not overwhelm it or trivialize it. Songs must be appropriate for the liturgical season, feast and part of the Mass. Music with a great beat that you can dance to does not fill the bill.
 
Joel Ruiz-Dana:
Colin Donovan from EWTN commented about some of the problems with the lyrics to MARY DID YOU KNOW? being sung at mass:

"Its coming out of a theological tradition that tends to reduce Mary to an ordinary mother and wife, and eliminates her perpetual virginity and sinlessness. While the Church has not formally taught that Mary had detailed knowledge of Her Son’s future, Our Lady would at minimum have known the Scriptures and what the Messiah would do and suffer. She certainly knew, from the Annunciation, Who her Son was and what His mission would be. In addition, a number of saints have had highly developed mystical lives from an early age (4, 5, 6 etc.), so it would be incongruous to suggest that Mary did not have mystical insights into the Scriptures, or even private revelations regarding the Divine plan. Indeed, later Catholic mystics affirm this conclusion of logic.

Particularly troublesome is the verse, “Did you know that your baby boy, has come to make you new; this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you.” It at least calls into question the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which teaches that in virtue of the Redemption, Mary was conceived without original sin. This occured about 44 years prior to Calvary. So, while this verse correctly alludes to her need for redemption (in the sense understood by the Church as preservation from falling), it places it in the future, rather than the past (with regard to original sin and personal sin), and the present (she was also preserved from falling at every moment of her life). "
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Every time I hear “Mary Did You Know,” I want to break out singing “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came,” which tells the REAL (=doctrinally sound) story, and of course has a more beautiful melody.
 
Last Sunday we sang “On the Eagles Wing” . And unfortunately I kept on thinking of this thread, causing me to laugh. I never could look at the song.
 
Most humourous was the “Hip Hymn Committee” of his parish deciding to sing Leaving on a Jet Plane on Ascension Thursday.
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I believe that is hymn number 666 😃

My least favorite song is “anthem.”

We are called
We are chosen
We are
We are
WE
WE
WE
ME
ME
ME

:mad:
 
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pnewton:
Me and my son also work hard not to snicker when we sing “We Come to Your Feast” (a song I like). One line “the weaving of our stories, the fabric of our lives” which of course asks the question, “Cotton?”
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It’s easy to mock poetic imagery if it doesn’t do anything for you.

Do you snicker as well at
" like a weaver I have rolled up my life;
he cuts me off from the loom;" (Isaiah 38:12) ?

and say “What - blankets or carpets?”
 
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pnewton:
Every now and then I will here a song line from some hymn that just makes me shake my head (and occasionally laugh).

What are some of the wacky, zany or heretical songs lyrics you have heard?

I was thinking of this because of one I heard last week from “The Summons”

“Will you love the you you hide” (This is not a typo)

Me and my son also work hard not to snicker when we sing “We Come to Your Feast” (a song I like). One line “the weaving of our stories, the fabric of our lives” which of course asks the question, “Cotton?”

Next?
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What is the name of this hymn out of cuiosity
 
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sconea:
What a great thread…now i don’t feel so alone. Three out of our 4 songs are usually written by heretics who hated the Catholic Church and the 4th is often one of the hootenanny types.
And these are led by our so-called ‘traditional choir.’

But what took the cake for me was “Shine, Jesus, Shine”…at a children’s Mass.
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They sing this song every Sunday at our Church when the little children go downstairs for “Childrens Church”. It is so bad and so disruptive.
 
The worst hymn ever? Freshman year 1993 at the Newman Center, OSU. “His Name is Christ is Her Name”. I got a few verses in and thought to myself, did I just sing what I think I did???
 
I go to a Catholic church which uses many old Protestant hymns. I was a Methodist for 10 years so I was quite surprised but nonetheless pleased to hear these songs in a Catholic church. I’ve heard a wonderful rendition of “Precious Lord” in our church that brought me and my hubby to tears, also “A Mighty Fortress”, “Amazing Grace”, etc., But recently I heard, “This little light of mine…I’m gonna let it shine”…I went ugh…Isn’t this a kid’s song? and why did they use that song at the end of mass. :rolleyes:
 
I thought OCP had gone nutters when I looked in the hymnal and saw, glaring at me, Martin Luther’s famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress”. The chap started all of the problems in Christendom! Though he recanted, thankfully, the hymn is still a rallying call to Protestants.

But, no, the worst line in a song is, sung by the person:

“I am the bread of Life”.

Oh, you are, then? Well, if I can just get the bread of life from the bloke next to me, bellowing the words without thinking, why did I come here, then?
 
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