What's a Hymn For? (Catholic Music in the USA)

Agreed that "Amazing Grace" is a protestant hymn. After all, the dude who wrote it was an Anglican.

BUT I can make a - somewhat Jesuitical - argument contra your contention that the line in question is heterodox.

Using "appear" in the sense not of actually arriving, but of becoming apparent to the speaker, it is when one reaches the age of reason and first becomes aware of the baptismal graces. So the hour one first believed could be the hour one first appreciated the grace that did not become apparent until the age of reason. Then of course it would appear precious (become apparent to the speaker) for the first time -- even though it had been there, albeit unappreciated, since infant baptism.

Of course, the Rev. Newton was a late-in-life convert from total infidelity, so his belief came before his baptism.

It's o.k. I'm a bug on the subject of music - that's why it was so hard for me to convert, I was afraid I would be stuck with elevator music for the rest of my life. Fortunately that did not come to pass.

No parish is perfect - not even our wonderful parish < g > (I'd like more Latin . . . and more frequent opportunities for Confession). There's always room for improvement.

You might ask your choir director if the choir could sing a Palestrina motet some time, just for fun. I think you would really enjoy it -- it's beautiful to listen to and really fun to sing as well.

Today, we sang the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin and Gregorian chant, as we do on the first Sunday of every month. Our anthems were Palestrina’s “Sicut Cervus” for offertory, and for communion Sir Ernest Bullock’s “Give Us the Wings of Faith” (a 20th c. Anglican anthem to words by Isaac Watts, but theologically sound and musically beautiful — and also appropriate for the Sunday nearest All Saints’)...

...you, and many others on these threads, are quite fortunate to have such opportunities to observe, and participate in various rites that sound so beautiful and uplifting...my parish is so grounded in the Novus Ordo, it sets this third year convert’s teeth to gnashing (is gnashing the same as grinding?)I’ve posted before defending Haugen and Haas, to the extent that someone writing heartfelt Christian music is not deserving of our scorn, but I agree with the concept that their music is better suited outside of Mass...just once, I would like to behold something grand and majestic in our church, with the parishioners truly engaged and wilfully participating, but every week it’s the same dull stuff...which is why I’m studying the Latin Mass and saying the responses and prayers in Latin (barely audibly, of course so as to not draw attention to myself and an annoyed look from the wife.)

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