Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
Our responsorial today, taken from Psalm 139, ought to be familiar. It is the basis of a hymn by the Saint Louis Jesuits, “Yahweh, I know you are Near.”
Yahweh, I know you are near, standing always at my side. You guard me from the foe, and you lead me in ways everlasting.
Lord, you have searched my heart, and you know when I sit and when I stand. Your hand is upon me protecting me from death, keeping me from harm.
Where can I run from Your love?
If I climb to the heavens You are there; If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea, still I'd find You there.
Marvelous to me are Your works; how profound are Your thoughts, my Lord. Even if I could count them, they number as the stars, You would still be there.
- Dan Schutte
The Saint Louis Jesuits came upon the scene in the early 1970s, among the first to embrace the mandate of Vatican Council II that our music be scripturally based. Among their best known compositions are “Be Not Afraid,” “Here I Am Lord,” “City of God,” “Sing A New Song,” “For You
Are My God,” “Though the Mountains May Fall,” “Glory and Praise to Our God,” “Only This I
Want,” and “One Bread, One Body.”
Some in liturgical circles brush them off as simplistic, and even snicker at the mention of their name. But the “proof is in the pudding.” Few composers have had their impact on the people-in-the-pew. Their music has inspired life-changing decisions, helping many of us cope with moments of loss, betrayal, joy, and gratitude. Their compositions have found a place in even secular settings, featured at President Reagan’s funeral and President Clinton’s inaugural.
Recently Bob Dufford composed a third verse to Be Not Afraid. For elders like me, this new verse resonates deeply:
And when the earth has turned beneath you, and your voice is seldom heard, when the flood of gifts that blessed your life has long since ebbed away, when your mind is thick and hope is thin and dark is all around, I will stand beside you till the dawn.
This recent verse reflects words of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini whose feast we keep today: “What does it matter if it be Golgotha, Tabor, or Gethsemane? It is enough to know that he is with us.” Apropos for we whose lives have been profoundly touched by those who contributed richly to our liturgical life since the renewal and restoration of Vatican Council II.
-Timothy J. Cronin