Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, break forth into joyous song and sing praise. Psalm 98:4
In Psalm 98 the nations, all the ends of the earth, the world, the sea are coming together to sing God’s praises. God is the one who sets the people free. Do you remember what it was like to be in junior high and not sing during the Mass? Do you remember being told to sing loud and proud, while your friends never even move their lips? Does the Psalm really mean sing a song? Should we hear continual music at Hoban.
The actual Hebrew word is SHOUT! Shout as if it is a battle cry! All should hear the praise that we give to God. Does this mean our voices should be as loud as a certain lovable religion teacher at Hoban High, or the priest up on the altar?
Psalm 98 tells us that God will set his people free, and he will not only rule over all of Judah, but over the entire world. Psalm 98 is a praise psalm which encourages the community of faith to give thanks and praise to God in a variety of ways. So how do we show our thanks and praise in our lives at Hoban?
In the Catholic Catechism, we are reminded:
Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the "one God, the Father, from who are all things and for whom we exist." (CCC 2639)
- Hoban Core Value: Reliance on Divine Providence.
We know and believe that God is present and active in our world. In Psalm 98, it is said that God is the one who sets us free. We believe that God is always with us, setting us free. In our daily life, do we show that we are reliant on the Lord? Do we give thanks to other people in order to show our gratitude to God? Do we thank the support staff at Hoban, the women who serve us food, and the custodial staff? Do we thank our parents? Do we thank our friends? Do we pray for those who work for our success?
-Prayer:
Lord, may I sing a new song to You this day, not so much with my voice as with my life.
May I live today in praise to You.
May my actions reflect Your grace and mercy.
May I find joy in You
Amen!
Mrs. Swinerton,
ReplyDeleteKudos, again, on the pigs of the week. I really love this blog because I find myself closest to God through music. I've expressed to you that I don't feel much connection through the Bible or any kind of scripture, for the most part, but in music I can literally feel Him around me. I was raised Lutheran but my brother and me switched to a non-denominational church last year. One of our main reasons for this switch was because of how much the service was centered on the music. Him and I are both part of the praise band which plays many contemporary christian songs. The praise band is also called Joyful Noise! Straight from Psalm 98! Back to your blog, I believe one of the main lessons of this is that we as people and especially teenagers need to not be afraid to praise. I'm borderline depressed during school mass when I look around and no one is singing. In fact, in one case the group that I was sitting with, including Chase, we're singing as emotionally as possible and we're reprimanded for being "distractive." I was really averse to this because I believe going through the motions of mass and fighting to keep your eyes open is not praising God. Mass should not be treated as a nuisance. We need to not be afraid of being judged and just praise the Lord! As loud and as often as we possibly can! Again, thank you for taking your time to write these blogs and give us something to think about. God bless Swinny!
I like this blog and i think it makes a good point about how we should sing in mass and not be afraid to praise God
ReplyDeleteI really like how this post mentions people not singing in Mass. People shouldn't be afraid or embarrassed to sing at Mass and it bothers me when people don't even move their lips. God gave everyone a unique singing voice and this is their chance to give back to him. I also like the use of the word "SHOUT!". I think this can refer to more than just words and singing. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, and if neccessary, use words."
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how this blog mentions the fact that people don't sing in mass. More people should sing during mass and not care what their voice sounds like, they're praising God, not having a singing contest. I also really liked the prayer, especially the end of the first line: "not so much with my voice as with my life." It really gives us something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy how you mentioned that people do not sing in Mass. In my grade school, we were told that to not sing is like ignoring a prayer. All of the songs are prayers, and it's funny when everyone prays the Our Father, yet no one will sing out loud. I really connected with this post because I really understand God more through music.
ReplyDeleteI truly feel like I connected with this passage. I was in a choral group for seven years and each year we would have a Christmas concert at St. Bernard’s Church. When I was younger I remembered hearing the highest level of singers, the touring choir, sing a very complex song whose lyrics contained the verses of Psalm 150. Each time I heard the song, I marveled at the emotion the singers put into it. I wanted to go to the concerts solely for the opportunity of hearing the song one more time, of having that emotion in my soul as well as everyone seated around me. When I finally reached the touring level, I had the privilege of singing that Psalm 150 song with my group, a passage that is quite similar to this one. After that experience, I found myself singing more and more at school masses. Even though I am not Catholic, I committed the songs to memory and sang them as if I were still singing that Psalm 150 piece. The blog this week really helped me reflect, also, on how I can improve my participation in Church. I often find myself thinking about random things during Mass that have absolutely nothing to do with the service. Sometimes I even make up excuses for the moments when I daze. This post has helped me to understand why participation in Church is so important and that I should truly thank God for every moment He gives me.
ReplyDeletewow... I could connect with this passage, because not many people in high school sing during Mass. At my parish's church, we are told to sing, but not by a form of a command but showing. At my church almost participates in the songs and they are not afraid to sing loudly. I believe the prayer fit well with the rest of the passage because it reminds us that we need to praise God in more way then just singing, but also in our actions.
ReplyDeleteI love singing and i love God so i can relate to this verse completely. God deserves to be worshiped and praised,and us as humans have interpreted loud noises as a form of praise. Think about how loud people yell and shout at concerts and sporting events.We should be able to worship God with are songs and prayers so the he knows that we recognize he is God. Jaleel Head
ReplyDeletei like the pig of the week
ReplyDelete:)
Natalie, this is great! I really love the opening that talks about remembering junior high, when noooooo one would sing. That is so true! It's like you were a loser if you sang, and it was weird to actually LIKE church songs. I think we all just need to come out of our 'comfort zone' or whatever it is that makes us embarassed and just sing our hearts out. haha :)
ReplyDeleteThe pig of the week is adorable. (:
ReplyDeleteAnd, I really like this blog because I like how they adressed the topic at mass and singling.
I'm not even catholic but I still sing at mass cause it's a fun thing to do. And if you're not going to pay attention to what is going on at mass, you can atleast be a part of it just by singing along with the choir.
(:
This is a very good blog. And i like how you mentioned people not singing at mass because i can relate to that alot, becuase i have had my experience with singing at mass and people around me arent and then i kind of feel weird. Also i like how you really gave a good explaination about the psalm, you gave a clear understaning about it.
ReplyDeleteGood Job! :]