28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Written by Br. John-Marmion Villa
One of my favorite movie scenes is from “My Fair Lady” (1964) where Freddy, a high-society suitor, is walking down the sidewalk on his way to meet Liza, pining for her attention. I have often reflected why he sings down the sidewalk. I mean, shouldn’t life break out into a random musical number every once in a while? On some days, I think it should because it might help break me out of a funky cloud that I put myself under, but that’s a reflection for a different time!
Years later, I would stumble on a tiny pamphlet, written by Josef Piper (1908-1997), a German Catholic philosopher. The title of the pamphlet caught my attention in the bookstore: “Only the lover sings” … a line taken from St. Augustine, “Cantare, amatus est.” This, I realized, is why Freddy sings on the sidewalk on his way to meet Liza. But can this saying be confined merely to the arena of the romantic? Certainly not.
The same impulse that compels Freddy to sing is the same impulse that drives our psalm - sing to the Lord a new son (Ps 98: ) - but to an infinitely higher degree. We sing romantically because we are in love (as in the case of Freddy), but we also sing spiritually for the same reason. If we even briefly review the other readings from today’s mass, we’ll see that people are experiencing miracle - Naaman’s hand is miraculously cured of leprosy after dipping his hand into a river; the lepers from the Gospel are miraculously cured walking to the local priests after being directed by Jesus. If anyone has cause of sing a new song, it’s these people! When Jesus’ saving power is revealed, there is cause to break out into song – jubilant song, for that matter – for all the nations to hear. By singing, we give attractive witness to a) what Jesus is doing in my life; b) Who Jesus is! If we aren’t singing, then perhaps, we’ve lost sight of Jesus! To sing again is as easy as closing our eyes to the world, opening our heart to the world around us from the perspective of heaven!
What is the song of your heart today? Who needs to hear that song among those around you?
Br. John-Marmion is a monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage Monastery in Berryville, AR. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and Master’s Degree in Divinity. Currently, He is the monastery Guest Master. Previously, he served with NET Ministries in various capacities. He is an artist with NOVUM RECORDS, and you can stream his debut record “Five Loaves” on Spotify and Apple Music.
Pray with today’s psalm.