Faithfulness and Flexibility

A response to: Substituting the Psalm

Thank you for this article! While we should remain faithful to the text, it seems that music directors have the flexibility to use arrangements that allow a less-antiphonal and more melodic approach to singing these Psalms that King David wrote to sing praise, give glory, and demonstrate his joy in the Lord. We must remember that King David was criticized for demonstrating publicly in dance his joy in the Lord. I often hear Psalms and even the Gloria sung in such a dirge that does not seem to reflect the same sentiment that David had or that we should have in our hearts when celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Father John Zimmerman