Earlier this week, Gus did a segment on hymns that were now banned from being sung at mass in the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri because they either didn’t comport with Church teaching or were composed by songwriters with credible accusations of sexual abuse. There's been an update to the story and Gus goes over it. After negative feedback from some parishioners, Bishop Shawn McKnight, withdrew his decision and opened it up to a more synodal process.
Also, it's Friday, so Gus does his weekly Prayer Time segment with listeners and continues with the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo in Friday w/the Fathers.
I have been struggling with this and researching it. As I understand it, a main point of contention with “All are Welcome” concerns the verse that refers to “water, wine and wheat” insofar as these elements may be presented in the context of an ordinary banquet and that it is felt to be poor doctrinal teaching to put water on par with bread and wine as the matter of the Sacrament. In any case, the remainder of that SAME verse removes any question as to what we share in Eucharist:
“Here the love of God, through Jesus/ Is revealed in time and space/ As we share in Christ, the feast that frees us”
These beautiful lyrics clearly point to the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and remove any doubt around the extraordinary nature of the Eucharistic feast.
The 2020 USCCB document, “Catholic Hymnody at the Service of the Church: An Aid for Evaluating Hymn Lyrics” directs that references to the Eucharistic elements as still being bread and wine after consecration should be avoided. “All are Welcome” does not do so to any significant extent – perhaps not at all. To “ban” a hymn with this title on such a shaky accusation is not justified and the optics of doing so are significantly detrimental to our Church and its evangelization effort in the modern world.
In the 4th Century, the heretic Arias was condemned at the Council of Nicaea. Afterwards, he continued to spread his false ideas by composing catchy songs that spread to the general public. The tunes were fun and made for good entertainment while people were walking or working, and the Arian lies spread. These hymns are NOT harmless. Instead of backtracking, the bishop should educate his flock on why these hymns are not appropriate for Mass.