Singing in Mass

How important is music and singing to our celebration of Mass?  Over the centuries, the Church has addressed the importance of music in liturgy.  In late 2007, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document called “Sing to the Lord,” a guide primarily for liturgical music leaders.

The first section of the document is entitled “Why We Sing.”   It begins by commenting that song is a gift from God.   In fact, in the first paragraph, it says “God dwells within each human person, in the place where music takes its source.”   This reflects the divine nature present in song.   Music is not simply something created by humans for their own amusement; rather, it is something received from God.

“Sing to the Lord” then traces the history of singing in the Bible.  It begins with the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, where Moses teaches the Israelites specific songs, and goes all the way to the New Testament, with Jesus singing a hymn with his Apostles before their journey to the Mount of Olives.

Since the first Christians were Jews, it's difficult to imagine them not singing psalms.  Historically, we know that from the third century to the present, the singing of psalms has been a part of Christian worship.  St Augustine, a theologian and a doctor of the Church, says:  "As to the singing of psalms and hymns, we have the proofs, the examples, and the instructions of the Lord Himself, and of the Apostles.”

What does singing do for our faith?  “Inspired by song, the body of the Word Incarnate goes forth to spread the Gospel with full force and compassion.”  Inspiration – literally a “divine influence on one’s soul” – that’s the power of music in the liturgy.  We sing because our ancestors in faith sang, because Jesus sang, and because the early Church sang.  And we sing because it connects us to us that spark of the divine inside of us. 

Music during Mass is not entertainment – it is, rather, our collective sung prayer.  All of us, raising our voices together, enter the prayer with the choir helping us keep pace.  

There’s an old adage that says that Catholics can’t sing.  The reality is probably more along the lines that many Catholics don’t sing. Mark Twain wrote, “Sing as if no one was listening”.  We know that God not only listens, but he gives us the courage to enter the song.