I changed my tune (heh) on this a little bit, because I really like the Proulx arrangement of "I Am the Bread of Life," which is at least Scriptural (though unlike the vast majority of traditional propers which quote Our Lord… it's more obvious that it's a quotation, even for an audience that either knew Latin or wouldn't be entirely religiously illiterate as to the Gospel texts). I mention this hymn, because there was a rather rousing debate on the Catholic internet about this a decade ago, but to be honest, it looks silly given what has transpired since, and Sr Suzanne Toolan was at least faithful to her vocation.

Funerals are not the time to catechize grieving families about liturgy nor liturgical music; that should be done before the funeral in the parish's liturgical ethos

"That's not in our repertoire, but here are similar things that are" is a perfectly acceptable response, even if, at some point, you have to explain yourself. The DM who told me that never got the least pushback. They happily looked at other things and usually expressed some form of gratitude later.

The fact is that this document, while an improvement on other texts, is two-clicks-to-the-right conservatism. It doesn't address the musical character, and I'm not sure that the bishops and the conference staff want to do so, certainly not now.

The text of the song in question is confused, because it is a prayer to Christ that then switches to the third person when referring to Our Lord in order to navel-gaze. Pastors or DMs now have an excuse that basically everyone can accept if they wish to eliminate it and the rest of David Haas's music from the parish without a fight.

There is a chant proper from the Requiem Mass, Ego sum panis vitae, which literally translates to, “I am the Bread of Life”. Just some food for thought.

Sponsa,

There is, indeed, such a Proper, but the Requiem you refer to is the Ordinary Form.

There's nothing wrong with quoting Holy Writ, but there is something wrong with failing to provide context. "There is no God" is a quotation from Scripture, but not adequately shown in context. So is, "I am the Lord thy God", but if it follows 3rd person references to God, then, surely, the goal is to convey that the singer, in the pew, is the Lord Thy God.

That one might be, but the antiphon for the Benedictus in the (trad) office of the dead is a quotation of the Gospel of John, "Ego sum resurrectio et vita" without any qualification. It's still not my favorite genre, and I think that being careful about it is warranted, because these pieces are still exceptional, IMHO.

And?

Besides, even if it’s overused on special occasions to appeal to almost everyone without causing hurt feelings, Thaxted is a stirring tune.

It's also the only appropriate tune for "I Vow To Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring-Rice, 1918 (UK Ambassador to the USA during WW1):

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

lol...I just made a video setting all of the NASA images to Holst’s planets. For me, Thaxted will always be Jupiter. For others I suppose ignorance is license.

I hadn't paid any attention, not being British, but wow, just wow: that's the most perfect expression of state idolatry ever. I can hear a whole amphitheater full of immanent lion food bursting into praise of Caesar.