Some members of St. John’s Liturgy Commission share their reflections on their favorite hymns:
Eternal Father, strong to save
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea
(Eternal Father, Strong to Save)
-Keith Davis
Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel. Childhood choir was my introduction to this Hymn; I remember feeling breathless at the adoration in this melody. Even now, hearing the first few tones of this carol makes everything inside of me become silent, hushed; the outer world feels blanketed by a thick covering of peace. I am close to the Beloved. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to Thee oh Israel… Christmas season begins each year for me when I hear the muted incantation; Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel.
-Carol Defrancisco
My favorite came to me last night; Hymn 296. Whenever there is a baptism, I look to see if we are going to be singing hymn 296; and I make sure I have Kleenex! It is such a beautiful hymn in both words and music. With the preciousness of new life and the wonder of the incarnation; this hymn is filled with promise, hope and joy. It has always been a song of baptism for me. Recently it has taken on the full circle of life when we sang the hymn through tears of love and grief at Camille Scheel’s funeral. Yes a hymn for the fullness of Life.
–Kathy Brown
Hymns are ‘soul-poetry’ set to music. One of the soul-poems that especially resonates with me and is my current favorite hymn is Hymn 658 (based on Psalm 42 which begins: “As longs the deer for cooling streams in parched and barren ways, so longs my soul, O God for thee …” Psalm 42 strikes a chord with me because it was at the heart of my spiritual rebirth—a rebirth that occurred as I early-retired from public service (with a parched soul) and joined the Episcopal Church after a long lapse. I was subsequently called to be a monastic within an Episcopal-Benedictine Order and continue to have my spiritual thirst quenched as I pray, sing, and worship with my religious order and with St. John’s faith community.
-Sister Julian Smith-Boyer, OSB
