“Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy”

“Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the rock who saves us!” These are the opening words to the invitatory psalm, which is prayed every morning all across the earth in the Roman Catholic Church. As seminarians, we often sing hymns, whether in the liturgies, or throughout the day! 

This year, as a philosopher, I have had the privilege of joining Mount St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum, which is the Vespers chorus at the seminary. Throughout the semester, we as a group have sung a multitude of beautiful songs, as well as led the psalmody for Solemn Vespers on Sunday evenings. Yet, as we sing, I found myself being drawn into this idea of “singing together.” 

Ever since I have been young, I have been surrounded by music, especially at church. We Catholics are so blessed to have such a strong tradition of music. But the one aspect of singing I always enjoyed most was doing it with other people. Whether at baptisms or Mass, fall festival gatherings, religious education classes, or even funerals and burials, we Catholics come together as a family to celebrate life and the Lord through song. 

In Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, it states, “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.” We have dove even deeper into this meaning in our liturgy seminar under the direction of our schola director, Father Michael O’Conner. It is absolutely certain that sacred song and music are understood by the Church to be valuable, but also, communal! From the very foundations of the Church, to the time of Moses, to even the prose of Adam to his beloved wife Eve, song has been a part of who we are. 

Yet, in modern times, frequently we are dissuaded from singing. Whether due to societal norms, or even our own insecurity at times, we often lose our inner song. But we should not be discouraged. I find more and more here at the Mount with my brothers, the true beauty of a song of praise, especially one sung as a family. Why silence the stirring of our hearts? The Lord delights in our praises! Yet, it is true, not all of us are like King David who wrote many beautiful psalms, and many of us are not professional singers. Even so, the Lord delights in our voices. Whether it is the sound of a professional opera singer or a child crying during the middle of a homily, the Lord hears the songs of his people. Together our voices make one melody, one written by the Lord in our hearts. 

As we enter this season of Advent, let us cry out to the Lord. Together as one family, let us offer up our prayers and needs in anticipation for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As we wait in solemn hope for the coming of our savior, let us ring out with one voice a prayer of thanksgiving and happiness. “Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the rock who saves us! Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving, and sing joyful songs to the Lord” (Psalm 95:1-2).