The Gospel

through

Inspirational Music

A beautiful way to remain in the presence of Christ is daily to recall specific events within the gospel. A devotion that has been alive for centuries and does precisely this is the Rosary. (see Understanding the Rosary). When you pray the Rosary, you remain in the presence of God. You won’t have any choice. If you are from a non-Catholic background, however, you may find the Rosary a little strange. Consequently, we won’t discuss the Rosary on this page. What we can do, however, and regardless of our background, is focus on certain key gospel events, using the events recalled in the Rosary (referred to as “mysteries”) as our starting point. We then join these sacred events and a couple of others with inspirational music.

What follows, then, is a brief journey through the gospel using music (mostly Protestant) to recall some powerful gospel events that tell us about the Christ’s outrageous love. Our selection draws upon (1) the birth and childhood of Jesus; (2) his life and teachings as he proclaims his kingdom; (3) his agony and death; and (4) his resurrection and promise of eternal life.

We will begin with the Byzantine Hymn of the Nativity.  The mid-east is rich in Christian tradition and beauty, but its music is a bit strange to the western ear. Nevertheless, for us to more completely understand the depth and breadth of the King of Israel and our Creator we need to look beyond our own somewhat insular culture. This Arabic Christmas Carol (YouTube search words: Arabic Christmas Carol) delivers us into the New Covenant, which begins with the birth and childhood of Jesus. While we are not accustomed to the music, we can easily understand the words and the message. Take the time to listen, watch and reflect.

The Birth and Childhood of Jesus

  • The Annunciation (O Come, O Come Emmanuel). The angel, Gabriel, tells Mary that with her consent she is to give birth to the Savior promised in Scripture. She accepts the will of God and gives us Emmanuel, God with us.
  • The Visitation (My Forever Friend). Mary visits her aged cousin, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. John recognized his savior even while in the womb and leaped for joy. Beginning at the instant of conception, Jesus will be your forever friend.
  • The Birth of Jesus (O Helga Natt (O Holy Night)). Jesus is born in a Bethlehem stable. The most popular of all Christmas songs, O Holy Night, celebrates this most holy night in diverse languages, including Swedish (O Helga Natt).
  • The Presentation (Were You There). Mary took the infant Jesus to the Temple to consecrate him to the Lord. There, Simeon said that Mary would grievously suffer because her son was the Savior of the world. Were You There is a foreshadowing.
  • The Flight into Egypt (Farther Along). To escape the killing wrath of Herod, Mary and Joseph flee with the infant Jesus to Egypt. As she travelled, she probably didn’t understand the reason for such hardship, but she knew that farther along she would.
  • Finding Jesus in the Temple (Amazing Grace). The 12-year-old Jesus had been missing for three days, and Mary and Joseph found him in his Father’s House. God’s amazing grace was given Mary to find Jesus, just as it is available to all of us.

Jesus Proclaims the Gospel

  • The Baptism of Jesus (Just a Closer Walk with Thee). John baptizes Jesus and the Trinity is revealed. As a member of Christ’s body where Jesus walks, we walk. He brings us close to him.
  • The Wedding at Cana (He Turned the Water into Wine). The transformation of the water into wine revealed the glory of God which was Jesus When Jesus turned the water into wine his journey to the cross began.
  • Jesus Proclaims his Kingdom (Make Me a Channel of Your Peace). Jesus declares the kingdom of God is at hand. He teaches through parables. Our job is to follow his teachings and example so that we can be a channel of his peace.
  • Feeding of the 5,000 (Somebody Bigger than You and I). Jesus fed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. Nothing we face is too big for God because he is somebody bigger than you and I.
  • The Transfiguration (How Great Thou Art). On top of the mountain, Jesus, appears in unequaled resplendence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. There can be no doubt as to how great God is.
  • The Last Supper (Panis Angelicus). Christ offers his body and blood as food under the signs of bread and wine and instructs the Apostles to do the same. St. Thomas Aquinas’ composition Panis Angelicus reminds us that this is the bread of heaven.

Christ Crucified

  • The Agony in the Garden (In the Garden). On that Holy Thursday, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane to be relieved of the upcoming torment but accepts the will of the Father. We need to find our garden and search out and accept the will of God.
  • The Scourging at the Pillar (Take My Hand, Precious Lord). Is there any pain or trouble that we may have that Jesus would not understand? Try being stripped naked and flogged 39 times with Roman whips. Whatever your problem, ask the Lord to take your hand.
  • The Crowning of Jesus (Scarlet Purple Robe). “And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand.” Matthew 27:28-29. Jesus was adorned with a scarlet purple robe.
  • The Way of the Cross (The Darkest Hour is Just before Dawn). The pain, agony and impending crucifixion was the darkest hour for Jesus as he struggled to Golgotha, but the dawn of resurrection was but three days away.
  • The Crucifixion (The Old Rugged Cross). Battered and bruised, Jesus is nailed, hands and feet to the cross. From the crown of his head to the soles of his feet there was not one spot on his body that was not in torment. He died on the old rugged cross for us.
  • The Entombment of Jesus (Peace in the Valley). Wrapped in a new linen cloth Jesus’ body was placed in tomb, and then closed by rolling a large stone over the entrance. But this wasn’t the end of the story. It was merely an introduction to peace in the valley.

The Resurrection and the Promise

  • The Resurrection (Hallelujah Chorus). The angel tells the women at the tomb, “He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”
  • The Ascension (Where We’ll Never Grow Old). Jesus’ physical presence and work on earth is complete. He ascends into heaven to prepare a place for us – a place where we’ll never grow old.
  • Gift of the Holy Spirit (You Raise Me Up). At Pentecost the disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This same Holy Spirit is available to those who ask. He will raise you up.
  • The Assumption (Ave Maria). When Mary’s life was concluded she was lifted body and soul into heaven by Jesus. The Assumption of Mary, a mortal, prefigures our own eternal destiny. Just as Jesus raised his mother, he will raise us.
  • Coronation of Mary (Whispering Hope). Because Mary is in heaven, closer to Jesus than any other mortal, we know that we too can come into the presence of Jesus. We harbor whispering hope of eternal life with the Lord.

The Question that Trumps All: If Jesus Comes Tomorrow (What Then)

If Jesus comes tomorrow, what then? If the sky turned black as midnight in the middle of the day and you knew that Jesus would return within 24 hours, what would you do?

Don’t be left standing at the station when the gospel train pulls out. You have been given a ticket to ride – discarding it is an eternal mistake. Consider carefully the materials in this website and when you do you will be able to join Johnny Cash and tell the world, I Came to Believe.  You don’t want to cross Jordan alone.

Footnotes and Attributions

The painting of four ecclesiastics listening to and contemplating sacred music retrieved from the Crisis Magazine website.

Last modified August 4, 2019