When someone is in love, they often feel like singing and dancing - maybe even leaping - because their heart is so light. When the heart is light, the body feels light. When the heart is heavy, the body feels heavy. When I enter the presence of God, I can feel my heart lift toward Heaven, drawn to the Eternal that is present before me. Often throughout the day, when I think about Jesus or am praying as I go about my day, I feel like singing. Sometimes I even start singing or humming out loud before I make a conscious decision to do it. It just sort of happens.
Music gives wonderful expression to sentiments of the heart. I know I am not alone when I say that there is often, if not always, a song to express what is going on in our hearts and souls, whether we are upset or overjoyed. It can calm us down when we are upset or get us moving if we are going for a run or doing something we aren't necessarily excited about. I have even heard of cases in elderly patients with dementia - who were previously unresponsive - who became alert and animated through listening to music they were familiar with.
It should be no surprise that we ought to come before the Lord singing and making music. In the Liturgy, the music helps us to transcend the earth we are living on. It takes us to Heaven on earth, which is what the Mass is. We participate in the Heavenly banquet and join the Angels and saints in singing and praising God. The "Holy, Holy, Holy" is not merely a nice song that someone decided should be sung at Mass. It is the cry of the Seraphim as they worship God in the throne room of Heaven! "And one [Seraphim] called to another and said "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3). On a side note, it is no coincidence that they say "holy" three times. In the original text, there are no superlatives like we have in English. They could not say "the Most Holy". The way they designated that God was holier than, say, Moses, was to say "holy, holy, holy." He is therefore sometimes referred to as the the thrice-Holy God. Every time we sing the "Holy, Holy, Holy" at Mass, we are joining our voices to those of the Seraphim!
It is only natural that our hearts should turn to music to express our deep love and reverence for our God. The Psalms of David are such beautiful prayers, often the basis for many liturgical hymns and songs of praise to God. They encourage us in making music for the Lord - Psalm 84:4 says, "Blessed are those who dwell in Thy house, ever singing Thy praise!" Again, Psalm 100:2 says, "Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!" The prophecies of Isaiah speak of the very landscape crying out and singing God's praises: "For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12).
Praise and singing are natural to our hearts because that is what we are made for. In Heaven, we will be in constant praise of God. When we sing and offer praise to God on this earth, our hearts find expression for the yearning from deep within. It is an imperfect expression, because we are still on earth and not yet free from concupiscence, but it allows us to take part in a Heavenly event and express what we cannot express with words alone.
I encourage you not to hold back when you feel like singing. I encourage you not to hold back even when you don't particularly feel like singing, especially in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We are singing with Angels and your Guardian Angel would like nothing better than to praise God with you! Don't let your opinion on the quality of your voice hold you back. Giving back to God the gifts He has given you pleases Him. People tend to notice the joy of the people who follow Christ with their whole heart, particularly those who sing. There can never be too much joy, so next time you want to praise God - make a joyful noise!
Shout to the North and the South!
Sing to the East and the West!
Jesus is Savior to all -
He's the Lord of Heaven and Earth!
"Shout to the North" by Robin Mark
Written by Catherine
