WORSHIP IV, THE FOLLOW-UP (Part the final)

The last 40-or-so hymns will be covered in this installment.  The final sections: Penance/Reconciliation, Pastoral Care of the Sick, Marriage, Funeral, Nation, New Year

* = new to the Worship series

*957 Grant to Us, O Lord (Deiss) - I like a good number of the Deiss pieces from the 1960's/1970's.  This is one of them.

*958 A Woman Knelt Where Jesus Sat to Eat ("Sursum Corda") - Ah, I remember that story well.  She poured perfume on Jesus and the people around him were PO'd because the perfume could have been "sold, and the money given to the poor".

*959 If I Have Been the Source of Pain (Sosa) - Hearing this piece might be a source of pain.

*960 Sovereign Maker of All Things ("Aberystwyth") - "Quakes with fear before your face...".  OK!!!!  Tune, however, is beloved.

*961 The Scheming Elders Challenged Christ ("Llangloffan") - They should use "Llangfyllin" every now and then as a major-key counterpart (see #570 in Hymnal 1940, first tune).

*964 Yes, I Shall Arise (Deiss) - another one I still like

*965 Healer of Our Every Ill (Haugen) - nope

966 Have Mercy, Lord, on Us ("Southwell") - added two verses that were missing in III.

*969 Help Us Forgive, Forgiving Lord ("Detroit") - #967 is "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive", set to the same tune.  Both hymns are saying the same thing, pretty much.  Why don't we stick with "Forgive Our Sins", the original?

*970 Out of the Depths (Batastini) - "Here in this community...", here we go again!

*971 In All Our Grief ("Fredericktown") - nice tune; text good also.

972 Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old ("Mozart") - such a good hymn that we used it as our offertory last Sunday.  Also found as "THINE ARM, O Lord, in Days of Old".  You might want to note that. :)

*973 When Memory Fades ("Finlandia") - not crazy over the text, but I'll let you be the judge.  The tune is downright gorgeous.  However, where is the most familiar of hymns normally associated with that tune, "Be Still, My Soul"?  It used to be in Worship II, and we haven't seen hide or hair of it since!

*974 Here, Master, in This Quiet Place ("Land of Rest") - title of text and title of tune go together well here.  Text is by Fred Pratt Green, so you know it can be trusted.

*975 Banned and Banished by Their Neighbors ("Kas Dziedaja") - I might have asked this once before, but whatever happened to "By the Babylonian Rivers" (which uses the same tune)?  I'll let you judge the text.

976 He Healed the Darkness of My Mind ("O Waly Waly") - Nothing against "O Waly Waly", but there are several hymns already using this tune.  Worship III used "Dunedin".  They should have stuck with it.

*977 When We Must Bear Persistent Pain ("Prospect") - not so hot!

*979 A Blind Man Sat beside the Road ("St. Anne") - Nice tune, but the title is a bit awkward.

*980 Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Allen/Dorsey) - blech!
*981 We Come to You for Healing, Lord ("Martyrdom") - text not bad; tune good.

*983 God of Love, Embrace Your People ("Hymn to Joy") - Not a bad text, better than most of the work of Fr. Chepponis.  Reminds me of some of the old "Our Parish Prays and Sings" hymns in that marriage section.  Nothing against "Hymn to Joy", it's a fine tune, but I'm thinking "Abbot's Leigh" might work better here.

*984 God in the Planning ("Slane") - same idea as #983, though I think #983 is a better text.  Can't knock the tune, however!

*985 Love Has Brought Us Here Together ("Hyfrydol") - quite good

*986 Let's Praise the Creator ("Kremser") - text seems ok.  Anyone?  Tune always good.

*987 This Is a Miracle-Moment ("Lobe den Herren") - a "miracle moment"?  WTF?  Awful text.  Too bad the tune is excellent.

*988 Dwellers in the Holy City ("Lauda Anima") - text is weak

*989 Rest in Peace, Earth's Journey Ended ("Moehr") - Text isn't bad.  I've used it before in my days at Precious Blood.

*990 Saints of God (Janco) - again, not into echoing the cantor.  Remember that goofy thing that got passed for a Sanctus back in the heydays of folk Masses, where the people repeated everything the guitarist/cantor sang?  Arrrrrrrrgh!  I'll stick to the Proulx version.  It's #182.

*991 May the Angels Lead You into Paradise (Hughes) - good.

*992 There Is a Place (Bell) - rather goofy, if you ask me.  "There is a place where we toss hunks of garbage".

994 I Know that My Redeemer Lives (Hughes) - good.  Was in the Order of Mass section of funerals in Worship III, the section that the Proulx "Saints of God" still sits.

995 God of Our Fathers ("National Hymn") - excellent hymn, but bastardized to bits!  Last verse should end "Fill all our lives with LOVE AND GRACE DIVINE; ALL GLORY, LAUD, AND PRAISE BE EVER THINE!"

*997 This Is My Song ("Finlandia") - fine

998 My Country, 'Tis of Thee ("America", or "God Save the Queen" if you're in the UK) - my only complaint is that it might be a bit high.  I would consider dropping it to F.

*999 Greet Now the Swiftly Changing Year ("Sixth Night") - One of Gather Comprehensive's better additions that made its way to Worship IV.

Here endeth the lesson on Worship IV. (or "Verbum Snarkii")

Peace,

BMP