“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Have you ever found yourself humming a cheerful tune in moments of joy? It is a wonderful gift that the Lord has given us to express joy. St. Augustine himself wrote that “those who sing during the harvest, or during the grape harvest, or during some intense work, first feel pleasure, coming from the words of the songs, but then, when the emotion grows, they feel that they can no longer express it in words and so they express it in a simple modulation of notes. We call this song ‘jubilant’. Jubilant is that melody with which the heart pours out what it cannot express in words. And to whom is it more fitting to raise this song of jubilation than to the ineffable God?” (St. Augustine. Commentary on Psalm 32). This year we celebrate the Jubilee and, as the philosopher Marco Guzzi writes, “Jubilee is a beautiful word, it makes one think of jubilation, of joy that cannot be expressed in words and is therefore expressed with cries of joy and dances… even if in reality jubilation and jubilee have very distant etymological roots. But certainly the sound of the Hebrew horn, the ram’s horn (the Jobel), must have spread a certain festive joy when every fifty years debts were forgiven, lands were returned, and slaves were freed.”
We are therefore in a time of joy and jubilation in which we can sing of Hope, which is the certainty of the Lord’s presence in our lives.
Have you ever tried singing? Perhaps you can relate to one of these responses:
– I would love to sing, but I’m tone deaf! That is… I can’t hit certain notes.
– I really like singing and I’m part of my parish choir; I’m really happy!
– I’m too embarrassed… I prefer to listen.
Singing is truly something mysterious; it calls us to take a step, to “come out” both within ourselves and in front of others. When it comes to singing, each of us has something personal to say: “I like it, I don’t like it, I can’t do it, I can do it, I’m embarrassed, I’m good at it, I’m tone deaf…” Clearly, singing touches some deep chords within our being, our sensitivity, making them visible to others. This can cause embarrassment.
I was part of an amateur opera choir for seven years. Our instructor always patiently tried to teach us how to project our voices correctly: “Open your mouth, smile, lower your tongue, fill your diaphragm…” We choristers, all intent on finding the exact point where our voices should come out, sometimes found ourselves making such funny faces that we burst out laughing in embarrassment. At first, to be honest, it was difficult to live with this sense of discomfort. But little by little we got used to not being ashamed of our voices and our emotions; we became a “body,” even singing pieces from famous operas, which were difficult for beginners like us.
This experience made me understand that when we give others everything we are, including our most fragile, “funny,” weakest side—the parts we usually hide for fear of not being accepted—that very moment is when we are truly loving fully. Not only with our “heads,” not only with our feelings, but with everything we are. Just as Jesus did: he wept openly for the loss of his friend Lazarus; he did not refuse to let passersby see him naked on the cross; he confided to his disciples in Gethsemane: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death; Remain here and keep watch with me.” (Mt 26:38). Jesus’ surrender of his most intimate, sometimes most fragile side to us human beings gives us so much hope because it frees us from that idea of “standard perfect holiness” that consists in wanting to achieve a state of human perfection rather than desiring a true relationship with Him. Being who we are, alongside a healthy desire to improve so that we can love more and better, is what truly sets us on the path to holiness.
Singers have explained to me that the sounds we perceive when we sing are different from those perceived by the listener. What reaches the listener is a more harmonious and pleasant sound than what they experience within themselves. Singing, therefore, like love, is a gift for others, not a personal gratification. We should not worry if the way we sing, speak, or console seems strange to us: those words, or that song, indeed are not for us, but rather for others! It will be the Holy Spirit who will use our smiles, our tears, our funny moments, our mistakes, and even our shortcomings to bring His consolation. I remember well a time when I gave a meditation to my sisters in the community during our monthly retreat. Towards the end, I shared a phrase that I thought was a bit obvious, and I did it just to… lengthen the reflection.
To my great surprise, it was precisely that one sentence that made one of them exclaim: “This is the most important sentence! A milestone that should be marked!” It is He, therefore, who works; we are only one of the ways through which Grace reaches and transforms hearts.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we are called to convey the “abundant” Hope, which is a gift of the Spirit and brings relief, joy, it warms hearts, and strengthens them as they go forth. We must not be afraid to love with all that we are: sometimes sharing our fragility can give others the courage to accept their own. Sharing our emotions can help those who listen to us to rediscover and accept their own, even the most uncomfortable ones. We want to trust in God that through those few fish and loaves we offer, He will multiply the good we desire to bring to the hearts of our brothers and sisters.
RESOLUTION FOR THE MONTH
– “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things” (Psalm 97)
– The new song we can sing this month could be to try to reveal our frailties, first to ourselves and then to God. Entrust to Him, in prayer, all that we are, without fear of His judgment, because He is on our side and wants to help us.
– We can also try to open up more simply to those we trust; to entrust some of our weaknesses to those we know will welcome them, understand us, console us, and advise us.
This openness will work unexpected wonders both in us and in others.
This month’s meditation is by Sr. Simona Panico, AVI.
