Fascinating interview with Rev. George W. Rutler about hymns
  • When speaking about how to solve the liturgical crisis, Fr. Rutler said: “I like that old saying: God so loved the world that He did not send a committee; He sent His Son. My experience has been that the less people know what they’re doing, the more meetings they have.” He talks about Aristotle and the concept of beauty. When talking about the patience needed to improve music at the average parish, he said: “We must avoid what the English call ‘ghastly good taste’—being overly fussy and focused on aesthetics in an unhealthy way.” Regarding some of the ways the religious texts were changed for political reasons after the Council: “These are art forms; it would be like putting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.” A very important section is when Fr. Rutler talks about singing hymns and the life of virtue.
  • I pray for more Fr. Rutlers in seminaries, parishes and cathedrals.