God rest ye merry...

Richard Mix

...everyone, until next time around!
I couldn't help wondering today whether we'd use this hymn more if GIA had just amended line 2 to "was born on Christmas Day" ("all others shall replace" is Catholic enough for me, I guess). What got me started was "Good Christian friends, rejoice" for communion today: the congregation figured out by themselves that the italicized Marty Haugen verses were indicated, though what is one to make of "When the captives find release, in feet that bring the word of peace"? One final cringe in "Songs of thankfulness and praise": "And be pure, as pure art thou" has become "And on us your grace endow". And I thought I had gotten the hang of English…

Andrew_Malton

I had the pleasure to sing that hymn twice today: at morning novus ordo Mass, taken from the CBW and including the illiteracy quoted above and several other "inclusive language" infelicities; and then at evening Ordinariate Mass using Bp. Wordsworth's original text in the Book of Common Praise. All five verses, too: the CBW turfed the palsied limbs and the darkened sun and moon.

Some modern hymn "editors" would do better to just replace lines they don't like "La la la" instead of showing their ignorance and bad taste.

M. Jackson Osborn

'And be pure, as pure art thou' has become
'And on us your grace endow'.

But, um, what does 'endow' mean???

chonak

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endow

M. Jackson Osborn

Andrew -
Where were you at an ordinariate mass?

CharlesW

What got me started was "Good Christian friends, rejoice" for communion today: the congregation figured out by themselves that the italicized Marty Haugen verses were indicated...

GIA has an addiction to Haugen that is worse than a street addict's attachment to crack cocaine. Why, I don't know. He isn't Catholic, writes mediocre maudlin music, and seems more interested in undermining Catholicism than supporting it - or so it seems to me. GIA is capable of producing much better, I think. "Good Christian friends rejoice?" What the "H."

Andrew_Malton

MJO: at St Mary's of the Seven Sorrows in Kitchener, Ontario. That is a regular parish of the diocese of Hamilton, but the "Sodality of St Edmund" of the ordinariate of St Peter is centered there also, since the end of last year, under the pastoral care of Fr Jason Catania.

FidemInFidebus

Yikes... and you know that kind of gobbledygook verse is not appreciated by choirs either! We've discarded hymns planned for some Sundays if the choir is tripping all over the verses. I don't remember what the closing hymn was at my home church on Saturday but it was definitely wordy, and with a difficult rhythm to boot. No one was singing it and I gave up after the second verse-and I'm a trained musician! The communion hymn was Spirit and Grace, which is used frequently at my church but I'd not paid much attention to the verses until this weekend. This one has a verse that says "The heartbeat of our lives" and I thought wait, isn't that Bruce Springsteen?! Or something like that... I was sad because I like the hymn otherwise and I like the tune. Sigh..

Fr. Jim Chepponis

I couldn't help wondering today whether we'd use this hymn more if GIA had just amended line 2 to "was born on Christmas Day"

I think Richard's initial post refers to older editions of GIA hymnals. In the newer 2011 editions of both Worship (Fourth edition) and Gather (Third edition):

1. "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" does include the phrase "was born on Christmas day" (instead of "was born upon this day.")

2. The Marty Haugen version of "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice" does not appear in either hymnal.

3. The final stanza of "Songs of Thankfulness and Praise" is:
Grant us grace to see you, Lord, Present in your holy word.
By that grace which you endow, Help us imitate you now,
That we, pure like you, may be At your great epiphany;
And may praise you, ever blest, God in flesh made manifest.

Andrew_Malton

3: Nice compromise. Not sure about the commas, is all.

CharlesW

1. "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" does include the phrase "was born on Christmas day" (instead of "was born upon this day.")

2. The Marty Haugen version of "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice" does not appear in either hymnal.

Thanks! I am getting ready to order Worship IV when our priest returns from sabbatical around Easter. This is reassuring that I am making a good choice.

Richard Mix

Haugen... isn't Catholic, writes mediocre maudlin music

What are you getting at, Charles? That one may quack without walking the walk? (ducking for cover)

Fr. Chepponis, that is reassuring! (I'm sure what I meant was "very encouraging".)

CharlesW

Richard, if you read some of the statements Haugen has made publicly - Google to the rescue - he holds positions that are not compatible with Catholic doctrine. For example, in one statement I read he said something to the effect that he agreed with the Church on the Eucharist, but could never belong to a church that was not inclusive, denied ordination to women, on and on... Why are parishes and supposedly Catholic publishers enriching him?

Yes, I know there are PLENTY of bad Catholic composers running around loose. Haugen just seems egregious.

Richard Mix

Reading this forum one might think the Pope holds positions that are not compatible with Catholic doctrine. But let's see how much of this I understand:

BREAD OF LIFE: Catholic

Mass of Creation: Not Catholic

Bach: Not Catholic, but allowed because we're no longer enriching him (dubium: the Neumeister chorales are copyright Yale Univ. Press, which also publishes heaven knows what…on or off the blacklist?)

Palestrina: Catholic, but soprano parts too high for the congregation.

Mozart: Not Catholic enough.

Gounod: Too Catholic.

CharlesW

Splitting hairs with a skill unmatched by a proof texting Southern Baptist, I see. LOL

One has to look at text, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to consider intentions. It also doesn't seem unreasonable to notice when we are being fleeced and taken advantage of, as well. Of course, I would be just as happy to go back to organ masses and play Couperin and Marchand as filler - Not going to happen! I am stuck with hymns and singers. LOL.

FidemInFidebus

I actually like some of Haugen's stuff and feel a bit disheartened to learn he is not Catholic. Sigh again..

CharlesW

He was Lutheran but is now a member of the United Church of Christ. Isn't that the President's church as well? UCC is considered by many to be the most liberal church in the U.S. He wrote;

We are many parts - aka the Frankenstein song.
Mass of Creation - aka as the Mass of Cremation because of its heavy use at funerals.
All are welcome - to which I say, no they are not. Get out! LOL.
And a host of other things I don't remember.

ryand

Some modern hymn "editors" would do better to just replace lines they don't like "La la la" instead of showing their ignorance and bad taste.

It would be more intelligent and much richer theologically to do so.

Chris Garton-Zavesky

Grant us grace to see you, Lord, Present in your holy word.
By that grace which you endow, Help us imitate you now,
That we, pure like you, may be At your great epiphany;
And may praise you, ever blest, God in flesh made manifest.

Missed opportunities:
"see Thee" (the alliteration is often removed in updated texts)

"mirrored in" (gives us the chance to think of St. Paul's 'through a mirror darkly', instead of 'present in.... the four modes of the presence of Christ')

the third line is just....awkward.

"God in flesh made manifest" misses the chance of both truth and linguistic beauty: "God in man[true in both the exclusive and generic] made manifest"

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