A friend of mine, whose son was born with Down Syndrome, turned me on to Natalie Merchant’s song “Wonder.” I think it’s a song especially about disabled children,  but it applies to all children.  Maybe that’s why it came to mind today, when my wife and I are in New York visiting two of my kids. 

O, I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as she came to my mother
Know this child will not suffer
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She’ll make her way

Full lyrics here.  They’re worth reading.

John Predmore, SJ, says that Jim Croce’s classic ballad “I Got a Name” “best reflects the events in my life that have led me to trust more fully in God.” He says that the lyrics extol Ignatian freedom.

And I’m gonna go there free
Like the fool I am and I’ll always be
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream
They can change their minds but they can’t change me
I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream.

Full lyrics here.  Here is Jim Croce singing the song in 1973.  I love the 70s hair, the bell-bottom jeans, the acoustic guitars, the nostalgia.

The Best Ignatian Song feature of this blog has been on the shelf for some months.  I’ve dusted it off to feature the “String Quartet No. 1: Good Friday Meditation” by Andrew Leonard, a recent Boston College graduate who is spending the summer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  Leonard, a pre-med and music major, says the piece was inspired by his experiences in the BC Urban Immersion volunteer program.

Listen to the piece here.  It’s performed by the Hawthorne String Quartet, resident at Boston College.

(Here is another BC music group, playing a very different kind of music.)

When I listened to Leonard’s quartet, I thought it sounded familiar.  Sure enough, it’s influenced by the third movement of Beethoven’s Quartet in A minor, Opus 132, one of the most moving pieces of music I know.  Beethoven wrote it after recovering from a near-fatal illness.  He titled the third movement “A Convalescent’s Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Divinity.”  Listen to part of it in this video.

“Jesus ahatonhia,” our last Christmas song of the season, is probably the first Christmas carol written in North America. The title means “Jesus, he is born” in the language of the Huron/Wendat native people of Canada. The Jesuit martyr St. Jean de Brébeuf wrote the song in that language. It is a good example of the way the early Jesuit missionaries adapted the ideas and imagery of native people to express Christian concepts. Here is a literal translation from Wendat into English.

It’s also a beautiful song. It has become known as “The Huron Carol,” and has been sung by numerous artists in both French and English. Here is sung by the Canadian artist Heather Dale. The first verse is in Wendat, the second is French, the third is English.

About ten days ago I went to a performance of Handel’s Messiah by the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan.  I do this almost every year.  A week later I was in New York for a funeral.  On Saturday my daughter and I spent the afternoon together, and I did something I hadn’t done in at least forty years–eat roasted chestnuts while walking down Fifth Avenue with the happy Christmas shoppers.

The sacred and secular traditions come together for me in a blend of Christmas happiness.  This a celebration of God’s glory and love.  I’m reminded of the Contemplation on God’s love at the end of the Spiritual Exercises.  To hear it musically, listen to the chorus “And the Glory of the Lord” from Messiah. The words are a single verse from Isaiah (40:5): “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

“Silent Night” is said to be the most popular Christmas carol of all. Its main rival is “White Christmas,” which is a secular song for a religious feast.  It is said that Franz Gruber composed it for guitar accompaniment because the organ in his Austrian church was broken.  That’s the way the Ignatian Schola of New York sings it in this concert performance.

I’ll bet that you already know and love this week’s Ignatian song, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.  There’s no better time to listen to Louis Armstrong sing “What a Wonderful World” again.  It celebrates finding God in all things. Hat tip to Rick Malloy, SJ, for the suggestion.

Our Ignatian song this week is U2′s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” It’s a song of deep spiritual yearning.

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

Every time I hear it I think of St. Augustine’s famous saying, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”  Here is a performance by U2 and Bruce Springsteen.

The Ignatian song this week is a ditty called “Give Me Love” by the Beatle George Harrison.  It’s a simple song. The words are not especially deep, but I like the twangy guitar and the upbeat cheer  Give me love–a very Ignatian prayer.   It makes me smile. Here’s a live performance by Harrison.

This week’s Ignatian song is the lovely ballad “Heavenly Day,” written by the eclectic folk-county-rock artist Patty Griffin. I ran across it about the time I was reading an article on the Daily Examen. The Examen is a review of the day that begins with praise and thanksgiving. This song expresses that spirit perfectly. Lyrics here.

Here is a performance by Griffin.