Changes at the Cathedral

Well, we have a new dean at St Patrick's Cathedral, Fr Gerard Johnson. With the changes in the Presbytery, come changes to the usual "Friday Lunchtime Sung Mass". Dr Cox, the Cathedral Capelmeister, has appointed yours truly as a "Reserve Cantor" for the Cathedral, and has also determined that rather than having regular Friday sung masses, we will, from now on, observe this custom on weekdays which are Solemnities or Feasts.

A new program has been established, which brings the settings for the ordo and the psalmody into line with what is used on Sundays. Most of it is new to me as a Cantor, although I am familiar with it as a mass-goer-in-the-pew. I was as nervous as all get out last Friday for "The Triumph of the Cross", cantoring (unaccompanied) with Gregorian tones before a new dean and with the Capelmeister in the pews checking out how well it all went.

As an idea of what we do, we are using Proulx's responsive English version of the Missa de Angelis Gloria, and the Latin Agnus Dei from Mass XVIII. The psalm settings are Dr Cox's--and utilize the NRSV rather than the Grail.

No hymns at this stage...

Next Lunchtime Missa Cantata will be for the Feast of St Matthew, this Friday at 1pm.

Lutheran Worship Resources

Over a number of years toward the end of my ministry in the Lutheran Church of Australia, I worked as manager of the "Lutheran Worship Resources" project. All these resources are now available on-liine on the LCA website. They are useful in all kinds of ways, but are an excellent source of hymn suggestions for each Sunday. They use the Revised Common Lectionary, which is not always the same as the Roman one.

Herzlich Lieb: "Lord Jesus, let your angels come"

Here is a song that I wish to be sung at the Committal at my funeral. It is the third verse from Martin Schalling's hymn "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr" (LH 385), as reworked by the LCA's Hymnody Dept. I sang it at my grandmother's funeral.

Lord Jesus, let your angels come,
when I must die, to bear me home,
my soul to heaven taking.
My resting body safely keep
secure in gentle painless sleep,
till earth's last great awaking.
Then raise me, Lord, that I may be
with you in joy, and always see,
O Son of God, your glorious face,
my Saviour, and my fount of grace.
Lord Jesus Christ,
O grant to me, grant this to me,
I'll sing your praise eternally.

Baptismal version of Liebster Jesu (Dearest Jesus)

Catholics are generally familiar with the German hymn "Blessed Jesus, at Thy Word". It is a hymn for the beginning of worship (an "Entrance Hymn" -- or, as some would call it today "a Gathering Song" -- uuh) by Tobias Clausnitzer (d. 1684), and translated by the great Catherine Winkworth.

Not so well known to Catholics, but well known to Lutherans (because of the general custom to have baptisms during the Divine Service) is the longer, baptismal version of the same hymn, also written by Clausnitzer, and also translated by Catherine Winkworth.

Interestingly, in the German, both hymns begin the same way: "Liebster Jesu, wir sind heir", so I don't know why Catherine decided to translate them differently. Perhaps she didn't. Maybe it was hymnal editors that made "Dearest" (which is the best translatin of Liebster) into "Blessed).

I give the version of this baptismal hymn that is in the Australian Lutheran Hymnal here, because it includes a verse (verse 4) that clearly teaches baptismal regeneration in infants. Another version (see here) appears to be more common in America and was included in the Lutheran Book of Worship (187) and in Together in Song (480).

Interestingly I came across this eucharistic version of the hymn, attributed to Clausnitzer, but said to be "adapt­ed by George R. Wood­ward. George obviously did a fair bit of "adapting", because I can find no German original in my old hymnbooks to match it. Quite nice though.

Any way, here is the Australian Lutheran version of Clausnitzer's baptismal hymn:

1. Dearest Jesus, we are here,
Gladly Thy command obeying;
With this child we now draw near
In accord with Thine own saying
That to Thee it shall be given
As a child and heir of heaven.

2. Yea, Thy word is clear and plain,
And we would obey it duly:
"He who is not born again,
Heart and life renewing truly,
Born of water and the Spirit,
Can My kingdom not inherit."

3. Therefore hasten we to Thee,
In our arms this infant bearing;
Let us here Thy glory see
Let this child, Thy mercy sharing,
In Thine arms be shielded ever,
Thine on earth and Thine forever.

4. Wash it, Jesus, in Thy blood
from the sin-stain of its nature;
Let it rise from out this flood
clothed in Thee a new-born creature;
may it, washed as Thou has bidden,
in Thine innocence be hidden.

5. Now unto Thy throne we send
prayers that from our heart proceeded.
Let them unto heaven ascend,
let our warm desires be heeded!
Write the name we now have given,
Write it in the book of heaven.

Interestingly, while the Entrance Hymn version is three verses (plus doxology) in both the original and the English, the original baptismal version has (in good German Lutheran style) SEVEN verses -- in which verse 4 given above is an accurate translation of the original verse 4, and verse 5 is actually verse 7. Here are the other verses and my rough translations. Metrical versions might follow:

5. Mache Licht aus finsterniß
setz es aus dem Zorn zur Gnade,
Heil den tiefen Schlangenbiß
durch die Kraft im Wunder-Bade,
laß hier einen Jordan rinnen,
so vergeht der Aussatz drinnen.

Make light shine in darkness,
set it out of (your) wrath into your grace,
heal the deep serpent-bite,
through the might of the wonder-bath,
let here a Jordan flow,
thus the [Aussatz (Leper?!)] passes inside.

6. Hirte, nimm dein Schäflein an,
Haupt, mach es zu deinem Gliede,
Himmels-Weg, zeig ihm die Bahn,
Friede-Fürst, schenk ihm den Friede,
Weinstock, hilf, daß diese Rebe
auch im Glauben dich umgebe.

Shepherd, take your little lamb,
Head, make it to your member,
Heaven's Way, show it the road,
Prince of Peace, give it peace,
Vine-Stock, help, that this vine
also in faith to embrace you.

This is the one often appearing as Verse 4 in American versions of the hymn. That verse is there given as:

Gracious Head, Thy member own;
Shepherd, take Thy lamb and feed it;
Prince of Peace, make here Thy throne;
Way of Life, to heaven lead it;
Precious Vine, let nothing sever
From Thy side this branch forever.