Amazing Grace

[oopsorganist]

Ah, so Amazing Grace is not OK.... mixed feelings about this as our congregation really sing this with wellie... no wonder the Bishop's helper gave me that hard look when one of our dames launched into it unaccompanied after Communion and the Communion hymn finished too soon... he had to move a few paces to glare at me... I wondered why he was so upset (parish pastoral visit a few years back).

What else is questionable? I hope to hear bad things about

Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
I watch the sunrise
To God be the Glory great things he has done

[oopsorganist]

Well

my Brother says that his mother would be horrified to hear us sing "My God Loves Me" as this is an irreverent tune in France, a drinking tune. And he thought "Faith of Our fathers " ws not OK for Sunday as tis too militant. But he was OK with Amazing Grace since I could not explain the Grace thing to him as I do not really get that bit on the other thread.

[ChrisC]

As I see it, the basic problem with Amazing Grace is theological: if we teach the inviolable dignity of the human person as part of our createdness, it is a disservice to sing 'a wretch like me.'

Wretchedness, 'alien grace', is something Luther would have embraced. One can also find the beginnings of that also in Augustine. It does not, however, accord with the Catholic doctrine of creation, or of a richly Catholic Anthropology.

Ahem. I've cleared my throat now.

[manniemain]

Many people are in the habit of shrugging their shoulders about hymn words and accusing those of us who question dodgy practice of being obsessive. The fact is that when a sizable proportion of the congregation are not catechised (perhaps their is no Catholic school in the parish - we have no Catholic Secondaries in our whole diocese)the last things needed are red herrings. Teaching on the Real Presence is undone in a trice if a congregation are invited to sing "He comes to me in sharing Bread and Wine" or "Too soon we rise the Symbols disappear" Why oh Why, do Priests (admittedly not ours)insist on these hymns?

[Southern Comfort]

Teaching on the Real Presence is undone in a trice if a congregation are invited to sing "He comes to me in sharing Bread and Wine" or "Too soon we rise the Symbols disappear" Why oh Why, do Priests (admittedly not ours)insist on these hymns?

At the risk of being rebuked because this is really a different topic, who actually uses these texts? Not I!

[johnquinn39]

Ah, so Amazing Grace is not OK.... mixed feelings about this as our congregation really sing this with wellie... no wonder the Bishop's helper gave me that hard look when one of our dames launched into it unaccompanied after Communion and the Communion hymn finished too soon... he had to move a few paces to glare at me... I wondered why he was so upset (parish pastoral visit a few years back).

What else is questionable? I hope to hear bad things about

Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
I watch the sunrise
To God be the Glory great things he has done

I don't see the problem with 'Amazing grace'. It is based on Ephesians 2: 4-8, and contains fragments of Psalm (15)16. This is sung with great enthusiasm in my parish, and in my opinion is a thoroughly appropriate post-communion hymn. (Also, Psalm (39) 40 uses the term 'wretch'.)

'O Lord my God...' is based on Psalm 8 ; Romans 5: 9-11 and I Thessalonians 4: 16-17. It has a good, rousing tune that people like to sing, and again I think this would be appropriate for a post-communion hymn.

'I watch the sunrise' is in my view a sentimental/devotional song ,that (if it is to be sung at all) might work better outside of the Mass.

'To God be the glory' is based on Revalation 15: 3-4 and has a rousing psalm-like chorus. The line 'O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son' in my view echoes what we have been doing at Mass - praying to the Father, through the Son. Again, in my view a suitable post-communion hymn.

[manniemain]

Teaching on the Real Presence is undone in a trice if a congregation are invited to sing "He comes to me in sharing Bread and Wine" or "Too soon we rise the Symbols disappear" Why oh Why, do Priests (admittedly not ours)insist on these hymns?

At the risk of being rebuked because this is really a different topic, who actually uses these texts? Not I!

Trust me - those nasties really are out there. I think I would refuse to play if they were demanded in my Parish but I've encountered them all elsewhere (along with distressed organists) on holiday! If ever the SSG was needed it is in these terrible times!