OW MANY OF YOU are obsessed with finding the “perfect” hymns each Sunday? I certainly am. For example, recently the feast of the Transfiguration fell during the week. Therefore, the following Sunday I made sure we sang this beautiful hymn for the Transfiguration. Perhaps you are asking: “How many members of the congregation noticed that selection?” Probably zero … but I just can’t stop myself!
Here is a wonderful hymn for the feast of All Saints (November 1st):
A Versatile Hymn: That hymn is also perfect for “general use”—that is to say, Sundays which are not seriously wedded to a particular mystery. It can be called by two different names: Placáre Christe Sérvulis and Christe Redémptor Omnium. To learn more about why hymns received an extra name in 1631AD, pick up a pew copy of the Brébeuf hymnal.
Avoiding Too Much “New” Stuff: When we do a hymn that not many people know, we also mix in a hymn that everyone knows to keep things balanced. Here is the hymn we sang after Mass last Sunday, recorded live:
Fulton J. Sheen used to speak about the meaning of the word martyr, which is “witness” (from the Greek). May the martyrs of Jesus Christ intercede for us:
