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John Edwards, a member of the Goodnews Editorial committee, selects extracts from the Early Church Fathers that have spoken to him in a particular way.
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In this issue we begin a new series where we will be quoting from some of the Fathers of the Church found within the 'Office of Readings'. This is part of the Prayer of the Church (Divine Office, The Breviary, Prayer of the Hours). After the Eucharist saying the Prayer of the Church is the next best way we can join together as Church. All ordained persons are called upon to say, at least, Morning and Evening Prayer and many lay people have also found this devotion fulfilling. I can't remember when I started to pray Morning and Evening Prayer. I started with the smaller book of Morning and Evening Prayer which costs around £21. When I visited some places for retreats etc. I would hear the Office of Readings and began to yearn after the full volumes (three of them at approximately £45 each). So that I too could read the extracts from scripture, but more significantly from the Fathers of the Church along with other Saints and Church documents. My opportunity came when in 1999 in preparation for a month's stay in hospital my wife, Ann, bought me all three volumes. During my stay I was able to pray the Prayer of the Church throughout the day. Since that time I have prayed the Office of Readings, Morning and Evening Prayer. I find it very illuminating to read the Office of Readings, especially on particular Saints' days. Many of you will have discovered this already but we would like to share with you some of the Jewels of the Church to be found in the Office of Readings. In our first extract we read from the Office for the 22nd November, the Feast Day of Saint Cecelia the Patron Saint of Music. It will be obvious why the compilers chose this reading for her feast day. We also include it because it is a teaching from St. Augustine of Hippo on 'singing in Tongues' or 'singing in the Spirit'. You can also find the Prayer of the Church on the Internet. One site is: www.universalis.com. You can order the full Office of Readings from Goodnews books www.goodnewsbooks.net
ST AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO 'Praise the Lord with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song.' You have learnt the new song: forget the ancient one. We are a new humanity, we have a new alliance with God; so let our song be new; a new song is not for the old man. Only the new mankind can learn it, mankind made new out of the ancient stuff; whose new alliance is the kingdom of heaven. All our heart yearns for it as we sing the new song, not with our voices but with our lives. 'Sing to him a new song. Sing to him tunefully.' You ask in what way you are to sing, each one of you, the praises of God? Sing to him, but not out of tune. God does not want his ears assaulted by discords. So, sing in harmony, brothers. Say you are asked to entertain some fine musician with a song: 'Sing a song to please him,' they say. There you are, quite untrained in music, and trembling with fear lest you displease the skilled musician - for what would pass unnoticed by an untrained ear will be criticised by the artiste. Still more then, is there anyone who is going to rush forward, thinking to please God with his beautiful voice - God, who will listen to that singer and, knowing everything, will give judgement on him? Will you ever, do you think, command an art so polished that you need know no fear of jarring on that perfect listener's ear? This is the way of singing God gives you; do not search for words. You cannot express in words the sentiments which please God: so, praise him with your jubilant singing. This is fine praise of God, when you sing with jubilation. You ask, what is singing in jubilation? It means to realise that words are not enough to express what we are singing in our hearts. At the harvest, in the vineyard, whenever men must labour hard, they begin with songs whose words express their joy. But when their joy brims over and words are not enough, they abandon even this coherence and give themselves up to the sheer sound of singing. What is this jubilation, this exultant song? It is the melody that means our hearts are bursting with feelings words cannot express. And to whom does this jubilation most belong? Surely to God who is unutterable. And does not unutterable mean what cannot be uttered? If words will not come and you may not remain silent, what else can you do but let the melody soar? What else, when the rejoicing heart has no words and the immensity of your joys will not be imprisoned in speech? What else but 'sing out with jubilation'.
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