30 June 2019

Msgr. Pope on the Power of Music to Touch Hearts

"In my life, I have learned that music is extremely powerful, often doing what mere words alone cannot.

"There have been several times in my life when my soul was asleep morally, and it was music that called me back. Although I joined the church choir when I was young in order to meet girls, it was through the music that the Lord showed me a deeper desire in my heart for goodness, beauty, and truth - indeed, my desire for God Himself. The music awoke my sleeping soul to God.

"More recently, and in a particular way, music awakens my soul to the deeper meaning of Sacred Scripture. I hear or read a Scripture passage that in the past has had only a marginal impact on me, but then when the choir take it up in song it is pressed indelibly into my heart. Through the music, my heart and soul are awakened to the deeper meaning of a particular text.

"With humility I have also learned that though I may preach boldly, it is often the choir's sung response that makes the words catch fire. I have learned to link what I preach to what is sung and to work carefully with the musicians, for while the spoken word may inform and even energize, the sung word strikes even deeper, imprinting the message into the deepest parts of the heart. 

". . . music can often reach where mere words cannot." 

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the power of music to touch people's hearts in church, in health care situations, and elsewhere. 

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit: 

Community in Mission: Reaching Past Dementia Through Music (27 JUN 19)

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