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Ignatian Songs

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 [...]

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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 [...]

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“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 [...]

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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 [...]

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“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 [...]

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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.

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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 [...]

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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.

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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 [...]

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Ignatian spirituality calls us to join Christ’s work in the world–now, today. It looks eagerly for the coming of the Kingdom.  A song that captures this mood of expectant faith is “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield.  Mayfield wrote it in the midst of the social unrest of the 1960s.  He was inspired by Martin [...]

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