The following letters to the editor appear in the edition of August 21, 2003. Letters appearing in this space do not necessarily reflect the views of the Arlington Catholic Herald or the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. The editor reserves the right to edit letters as necessary. There is no guarantee of publication. Send letters to: letters@catholicherald.com.

Misguided Critics

Regarding actor and director Mel Gibson’s controversial forthcoming film, "The Passion," critics who are saying that it might promote anti-semitism are terribly misguided, and I think they will be proven wrong.

While some adherents of fringe Catholicism, which rejects the doctrinal developments and liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, are bitter and paranoid, Gibson, thankfully, does not appear to be among them.

In fact, I applaud Gibson for having the courage to make "The Passion." He is indeed one of the very few prominent entertainers in decadent Hollywood to put God, morality and family above money, career and political correctness.

God bless him for it.

Matt C. Abbott
Chicago, IL

No Child Left Behind

Because of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, our schools are already receiving additional resources and historic levels of federal funding to ensure that students succeed, and more positive changes are on the way. Recently, the president announced that every state had put in a place an accountability plan to ensure that all schools make progress.

As part of these plans and the No Child Left Behind Act's strong accountability provisions, school districts will be required to test students and give parents annual report cards. Schools that don't make progress will offer their students additional services, such as free tutoring, and parents will be given new options.

Through these new reforms, we have a real chance to ensure that every child receives a quality education, and President Bush deserves enormous credit for focusing our nation's attention on this challenge.

Michael Dwyer
Darnestown, MD

The Catholic Voice

Regarding George Weigel's article, "Hymns and Us," in the HERALD (ACH 8/14/03): The problem of Catholic hymnody has engaged many writers, most notably Thomas Day in his book, Why Catholics Can't Sing. Like Weigel, Day excoriates the "We are Jesus" hymns, or what Day termed the "voice of God" phenomenon. I agree with both writers that such a perspective can invert the relationship between worshipers and He who is worshiped. I would point out, however, that many of the Latin chants of the Mass, especially the Communion chants, use similar texts from the mouth of the Lord, which may or may not include the phrase, "dicit Dominus" ("says the Lord"). Of course, these chants were traditionally sung by a choir that, if not clerical, was ministerial in a distinctive way. This provided a level of objectivity that modern worship, through its virtual replacement of the proper chants of the Mass with congregational hymns, has lost.

I would offer a very traditional suggestion to correct the "voice of God" phenomenon. All hymns used in public worship should end with a doxology, the final verse that directs glory to the Holy Trinity, so common in traditional Protestant hymnody. The doxology should be used regardless of the number of other verses sung, and despite the number of verses left unsung. For hymns lacking a doxology, one should be borrowed from another hymn in the same meter, or absent that, supplied by someone with both musical and poetic competence.

American Catholic hymnody deserves a thorough theological, not to mention musical, critique. Nevertheless, as baptized Catholics, we have a right to sing the words, "I am the bread of life," so long as we explicitly acknowledge and glorify the source of those words and of that bread.

Richard Rice
Alexandria

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