A Song in My Head... A Song in My Heart

June 21, 2009

Setting Our Hearts Aflame!

A Song in My Head…
A Song in My Heart…
How often have you had a song floating around in your head that you cannot get rid of? You try humming a different song, or try to think about something else but your mind keeps returning to one song. This happens to me often and I never gave it much thought until I noticed it happening more frequently. I began to think that perhaps the Holy Spirit is speaking to me through music. I began to pay more attention to the lyrics and notes in my head and have realized the Spirit is indeed communicating things I need to hear. For several days I sat with my prayer journal and noted what the tunes were telling me. Praying with music can be a very spiritual and enriching experience. Here is one method of praying with music:

Choose a piece of music. It does not need to be a hymn or a particular genre or style.
Settle down. Take a few minutes to become comfortable and still your mind
Pray to the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray and to hear what the Lord is saying to you.
Play the song you have chosen. Pay attention to the feelings and images the songs stir up for you. After the song, reflect on it. Ask: What is this song saying? How does it speak to my life right now? How can I apply its meaning to my life? What might God be saying to me through this song?
Thank God for these moments of insights you received.
Record your experiences in a prayer journal for future reflection.
As we attend Mass this summer let us sing out with strong voices and pay attention to the Spirit moving within us through song.

The faith of countless believers has been nourished by melodies flowing from the hearts of other believers,…In song, faith is experienced as vibrant joy, love, and confident expectation of the saving intervention of God.
Letter to Artists #12, Pope John Paul II, 1999

– God Bless, Holly Clark