A Gift

Both the nation of Israel and the Church have used the Psalms as a standard hymnal for centuries. And no wonder! Within the Psalms we find the essence of being – every emotion and state of life; the good, the bad, and the ugly so to speak. From David we learn that intimacy with God is both personal and communal. We infer that God is not afraid of our passion; whether it’s zeal for his temple or righteous indignation at injustice. The Psalmist puts words to both grief and joy. He shamelessly testifies to the goodness of God in his own life without fear of being labeled a narcissist. He then spills tears when life hits the rocks without fear of being scorned.

In all of this, we see a scarlet thread woven throughout the tapestry of this ongoing song; a thread that begins in the Garden of Eden and spills down the Cross at Golgatha. A thread of redemption issues from the Logos; the Word that becomes flesh and dwells among us.  

The Song of David becomes the Song of the Lamb. The songs we sing at Mass are a continuation of this eternal tapestry; a gift of utterance from the Holy Spirit uniting the Church in song.

So whether we sing this salvation song in English, Latin, Greek, or Hebrew; whether it’s acapella or accompanied by instrumentation; whether it’s a personal favorite or not…we have been given a priceless gift, and it is our privilege as Christians united by the same Spirit to lift our voices to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is forever worthy!