What is Sacred?

Choirs of Sts. Anne & Joachim, 2024

That question does not get asked or answered near enough these days. And I suppose, it's really not the most important question about 'sacred' things anyhow. But, let's start there for now: what is sacred?

The word itself means "set apart." Sacred music, like anything else in the liturgy, is set apart by its role in the worship of God in the church. The Second Vatican Council says that sacred music has two purposes: "the glory of God, and the sanctification of the faithful." (SC 112) Most people get the 'glory of God' part, it's a natural element of most music with any religious connotation. In fact, it is the most logical thing we do with music-- to offer it back to our Creator, who lovingly bestowed upon us the unique gift of artful expression.

I think that the second part of that definition needs a little more attention: the music we offer at Mass should make people more holy. That's what sanctification means-- that people should be sanctified or even 'purified' by their experience of sacred music. None of this can be separated from the person of Jesus Christ, from whom in the liturgy we derive the Christian spirit. The experience of sacred music in the context of worship should reveal the truth, goodness, and beauty of God to all who are gathered. The music must be wonderful, that is to say, that it draws people into wonder of Almighty God.

"the music we offer at Mass should make people more holy."

This does not happen as a casual encounter. Think of Moses and his encounter with the burning bush, or the Apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration. When God reveals himself to us, he does so in dazzling brightness, whether in flames, light, or sincere beauty that transfixes a person on the source of light. Sacred music serves as a lens for us to see the source of light that permeates the liturgy: Jesus Christ.

I've seen and heard multiple sources that offer some advice to more or less say, "we need to make music sound more like what the popular culture is listening to so that more people will encounter Christ." This approach to music ministry: 1) is not effective now and hasn't been for over 50 years. 2) loses the sense of sacredness that defines what sacred music is.

High Altar at St. Sernin, Toulouse France

Now, don't get it twisted: we need to evangelize and reach out to people who do not normally set foot in a church. As much fun as the movie "Sister Act" is, the church does not suddenly fill up with people because you sing upbeat music and have fun doing it. If making music at Mass more like the music of secular pop-culture truly lead to higher attendance at churches, there would be some indication that since the Second Vatican Council, there has been an uptick in church attendance among Catholics, as the implementation of the Novus Ordo liturgy allowed more flexibility for church musicians to select new and varied musical settings for Mass. And yet, Catholics have been in decline for quite some time since the mid-20th century. (though it seems things are starting to change!)

So, how do we reach the people outside of the church? Start with the people inside of the church! I think there's a misconception that the only people we can bring in to the church are people who aren't coming. I think that before we can ever hope to have success with people who don't come to church, the people who already come need to be awakened to a deeper sense of spirituality and prayer in our liturgical celebrations. There are so many Catholics who have done the same 'stand, sit, kneel' routine at Mass for so long, that it is meaningless, a dry ritual with no symbolic depth to entice the mind and heart into religious devotion. Our recently departed Holy Father Pope Francis wrote wisely:

"Therefore, the fundamental question is this: how do we recover the capacity to live completely the liturgical action? This was the objective of the Council’s reform. The challenge is extremely demanding because modern people — not in all cultures to the same degree — have lost the capacity to engage with symbolic action, which is an essential trait of the liturgical act." (Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis, Desiderio desideravi, 2022,)

We must come to understand that beauty in the liturgy comes first from within the liturgical celebration itself. We must be aware of and formed by sign & symbol in the liturgy to understand the truth of what it is we do in worship. If this understanding is not present, any music we create or use in the liturgy runs the risk of being a banal noise that is out of character with the solemnity and reverence that we offer to God in our worship.

So, 'what is sacred music?' now seems to be an inadequate question. 'Why is sacred music?' opens up a much more important conversation for us involved in church music. By continually asking 'why?' we will discover the richness and depth of our celebrations. The old saying goes, "knowledge is power!" It is one thing to know that sacred music ought to be 'set apart' from the musical tastes and interests of secular society. It is another thing entirely to offer prayerful music in the context of worship, because one has pondered why sacred music exists and how it functions. This is a fundamental concept of successful music ministry in the parish setting, and a topic I hope to continue unpacking in the future.

-McChoir