Last year a friend asked if I could sing Mass for them. It was part of a spiritual retreat and I was welcome to hang around for the talks. It sounded appealing, so there I was at group zoom call about advancing in the spiritual life, a topic I hadn’t really looked into since my college days, wondering what hymns the guest speakers would choose.
Their top picks:
- Anima Christi (this recording by Floriani in particular)
- Salve Regina
- Veni Creator
I was duly impressed.
Apart from this validation affirming the pre-eminence of Gregorian chant, Dan and Stephanie Burke are doing a stellar job of promoting authentic spiritual renewal among Catholics. They have a range of projects, but the one I would point people to is Spiritual Direction.com, where you can find on-demand and ongoing formation (see the end of their Events page)
Many of their books are based on perennial spiritual classics: The Devil in the Castle looks at St Teresa’s Interior Castle; Finding Peace in the Storm covers Uniformity with God’s Will by St Alphonsus Liguori; Discernment of Spirits clarifies the 14 Rules for For Perceiving and Knowing in Some Manner the Different Movements Which Are Caused in the Soul of St Ignatius of Loyola. The originals aren’t always the easiest things to read and the centuries have seen many changes since they were first published, so having a modern commentary is very helpful.
As volunteers or professionals in music ministry, we need to look after our spiritual health. Our music is a prayer, so we need to practice authentic Christian prayer. By our example we form our choir members for better or worse. We are also humans who will render an account for our souls on the last day. For all these reasons, a refresher course on growing in sanctifying grace is very important.
It is reassuring to hear appreciation for Gregorian chant from people outside the sacred music bubble. There are parallels with musicians pursuing true and authentic liturgical from the treasury of tradition. Hopefully, as well as good spiritual directors endorsing chant, we can have many good music directors promoting spiritual direction.
