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. Praying with music can be a very
spiritual and enriching experience. Advent is a time of prayer and this is an
easy form of prayer that can be done in a car, at home, at Mass, etc. 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 Advent
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
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