This week I’m going to address a topic that has recently been in the news. A prominent and prolific Catholic music composer, David Haas, has been accused of sexual battery and spiritual manipula-tion. In no way am I defending his actions. All of the victims were over the age of 18, and many of the relationships started out be-tween mutually consenting adults. Mr. Haas has accepted responsi-bility for what he has done and has asked for forgiveness. The songs most commonly known by Mr. Haas are “Blest Are They”, “You are Mine”, “We Are Called”, “Now We Remain” and “We Have Been Told”. Some Archdioceses have put out statements banning the use of all of his music. The publishing companies have stopped the publication of his works, and have cancelled his contracts. He no longer receives compensation from the publishing houses when his work is performed. Other Archdioceses have taken a different approach. Or Archdiocese will be (or maybe has by the time this is printed) putting out a statement soon about it, allowing us to still use his music if desired. His music will no longer be used in Archdi-ocesan celebrations. My personal take on it: I will still use some of his music when it’s appropriate. Why you might ask? There are many reasons: Our Church has the wonderful sacrament of Recon-ciliation by which we all can have our sins forgiven and come back into a better relationship with God. Does he not deserve this, and who are we to judge? Are you ready to throw the first stone?
Can God not work through a sinner?
Another point: St. Augustine is attributed to this quote "There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future". Is that not true? Should we throw everything away that was produced or composed by a person in the state of sin? What will we be left with??? Let’s start with St. Paul. He persecuted Christians before he converted to Catholicism. Now his writings are included in the Bible as inspired scripture and read during Mass all the time. Poor St. Peter also has to share his feast day with St. Paul! What outrage we should have! Should we whitewash the Sistine Chapel and destroy all of Michel-angelo’s statues because he was perhaps not interested in women? Bach is known to have beaten the boys/men who worked the bellows that control the air for the pipes for the organ while he played, especially if they got tired and didn’t work fast enough. Should we not listen to, or play, or sing any Bach? This Sunday is the Feast of St. Francis. What about St. Francis' past as a playboy before he gave up his fortunes and family name? Do you think he ever sinned? What about St. JPII? I’m not trying to cause scandal by suggesting this, but all of these people are humans and are sinful. Should one sin be considered worse than the other? Where do we draw the line? Some sins, like Haas’, are thrust into the spotlight. What about those whose sins are perhaps worse (like an abortion), but not seen in public? How do we justify doing their works, or viewing their artwork? I, for one, am not going to go on this quest, or be the first to throw a stone. I am a sinner and I know it. Frank-ly, who composed a song is the last thing on my mind when select-ing music - the text is foremost, and since the majority of the texts for liturgical music pull on scripture for their source, these texts, including Mr. Haas’, are not his own. Secondly, now especially when the congregation is not singing, I’m trying to pick music that people will know and can sing in their head, or hum as they’re walking out of church. Music that will speak to them on some level. If you would ask people what they know about the Beatitudes, I would speculate that the song "Blest Are They" would enter their thoughts. This song has made that sermon by Christ known and lived in ways that just reading it wouldn't do. Same with "We Are Called" - it lifts peo-ple's minds and hearts into action to live out Christ in our daily lives. Who is not comforted by the song “You Are Mine” when dealing with grief or the thought of confronting a difficult situation?
God does work through sinful people. He works through each and every one of us. And while David Haas was doing sinful things when these songs were written, God's glory and goodness shines through the music and overshadows any human frailties. We can all hope that God works through us in similar ways, all in spite of our sinful nature, helping us all come closer to God.