I really do love Lent because it prepares me for Easter and helps me to clearly see my God. I think there may be no greater travesty among Protestants than the slow removal of Lent from our calendars.
During seminary while I attended St. Athanasius Orthodox Church I heard one of the most wonderfully piercing Lenten hymns I've ever experienced. This hymn brings me to tears every time I hear it because it reminds me of deep ravine that separates who I am from what I am called to become by the grace of God. I was reminded about this hymn today on an Orthodox blog that I often read - Glory to God for All Things. This is the blog of Fr. Stephen Freeman and it is a wonderful wealth of wisdom and spirituality.
The hymn that I'm talking about is "By the Waters of Babylon" and is based on Psalm 137. Here is are a few of the lyrics re-posted from Fr. Stephen's post (here).
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Alleluia.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. Alleluia.
For there they that had taken us captive required of us a song;
and they that had carried us away required of us a hymn, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Alleluia.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? Alleluia.
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Alleluia.
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem as my chief joy. Alleluia.
How does this Psalm bespeak of Lent? It tells of the exile of Jerusalem and how they chose to worship God even when they were separated and driven from the true place they belonged. It reminds us of our condition that we meditate strongly on during Lent - that we too are exiled. We must keep our hope, we must continue to sing the Lord's song even in this strange land.
So let us prepare ourselves for this Lenten journey. Let us ready ourselves that we might truly embrace the fast and let us sing the Lord's song even as we remember our sin, our mortality, and our exile from Eden.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
- Ben
If you're interested there is a great Lenten "pastoral note" by Fr. Justin Paterson at the top of the St. Athanasius web-page (here). You can also scroll down if you are interested in learning more about Eastern Christian fasting practices during Lent.
8 comments:
Interesting hymn, especially with all the Alleluias. I should have Cherith write an arrangement for it...she's great at writing stuff in minor keys.
Writing your own arrangement would sort of miss the point, which is the humiliation of singing the great sacred songs of your tradition as a spectacle and sport to people who are mocking your faith. In spite of being shamed, we will sing the ancient songs anyway, lest we forget who we are. If the song is new, that is, not sung by the forerunners of our tradition, then we have already forgotten Jerusalem.
This is why this hymn is sung during lent. There is no innovation to the spiritual life. You fast, you pray, you give alms. Its through keeping the tradition alive, no matter how hard, that we remember Zion. And in remembering Zion, we remember who we are. This is the remedy for the modern age, in which there is no greater loss than that we have forgotten who we are.
The thing is I was looking at a review of yours about a certain church. Anyway, I feel that-- that experience is happening to me. I thought it was just me... I have already committed so much and now its complicated.
Anyway, I tried to email you but you don't have a contact me button.
Googlover,
What church is that? Did you have something specific to ask me that you didn't want in the comments?
- Ben
Nathaniel,
I'm confused. How does what you say account for the changing of melodies within the Orthodox tradition? I know that tone-chant is a constant, but there are still different melodies that are sung right?
I guess this is something I've been wondering about recently. Fr. Stephen Freeman wrote a couple great blog-posts about church music recently: "Icon of Music" and "Why does God Sing."
I think he makes some great statements but he doesn't explain fully how music is iconic. Granted I think he would say that Church music that is iconic in nature is more than just words but what is it about the tone/melody that meshes with the words to become an Icon?
I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, it has something to do with quieting the will and the passions. If one can write a new melody that accomplishes that task and use the words of the tradition could that not also be iconic?
I'm all about getting rid of much of the crappy, crappy, self indulgent, emotionally driven/manipulative music within protestantism but at the same time I think that just because a melody is new it isn't necessarily bad or unfit for worship.
If it keeps with the tradition theologically and helps to quiet the passions so we can see God is it not worthy of being used by the church?
I know I write as a Protestant so I don't assume we'll see eye-to-eye completely, but I thought I'd try to clear this up in my mind since I am confused on the subject.
---
On another note, I'm sorry I missed you when I was back in KY this last weekend. Next time I come into town we'll have to make sure we can get together and you'll have to promise you won't get sick. =)
How was the climacus conference or were you too sick to make it?
It's not that you can't change the melodies (or even the hymns themselves). It's that within American Christianity there is an impulse, a belief, that the individual is so enlightened that he can immediately improve on things handed down from the Fathers by his own creativity. This impulse, that "I" am the canon by which a thing's goodness is measured, is antithetical to the Christian life.
Thus, in Orthodoxy our hymns and their settings are penned by people who have lived in the tradition for years and are most often saints (or at least monastics or choir directors [which requires more seminary training than priesthood in many places]). And as such, though the music and lyrics might change, it is in effect the same song*, having been informed by the tradition. This is healthy. The rush to take things that are old and "freshen them up" is to miss the whole point of the song. This impulse is the drive to recreate ourselves in our own image. It is the sin of Adam.
* - Indeed one might even say that it is the same eternal song which created this world (as alluded to both in Tolkien and CS Lewis). This is perhaps the musical equivalent of the divine energies, though I hesitate to speak in depth about such things.
---
The primary purpose of the music is to facilitate the text (this is, in fact, the guiding principle of the Catholic Counter-Reformation of Trent). And while music is not to stir up the passions, neither is it bereft of emotion. For instance, the melody to "memory eternal," often described as haunting, is really a reminder of death, in all of its reality. If we cannot face death than we cannot begin to understand our salvation, which was accomplished by bringing us life through death. Similarly, "By the Waters" is often filled with angst or longing, matching the text in its desire to be reunited with Zion (which is Christ). And yet even more-so do the hymns of Pascha proclaim Christ's resurrection with joy upon joy.
Thus, as scriptures are to the mind, an icon is to the eyes and music is to the ears.
---
I was unfortunately too sick to make the Climacus conference, much to my dismay. Sorry we missed each other. Please come stay with me some time.
Ben,
Yeah. I don't want to start something online.
Nathaniel,
That makes a whole lot more sense. Thank for taking the time to explain it.
I'll be in town in April for a wedding in Louisville so we'll have to get together then. I might be grumpy though. Kristy's friend is getting married on opening day weekend - a weekend that I have pilgrimaged to Baltimore for the last two years. Everyone knows you're not suppose to get married on opening weekend!!
--------
Googlover:
Email me and we'll dialogue about whatever: howard (dot) benjamin (at) gmail (dot) com
Post a Comment