Give voice to the song in your heart!

One of the great joys of Religious Life is praying in common with my Sisters. Together we pray Morning, Evening and Night Prayer from the Church's Liturgy of the Hours. This morning I was struck with the fact that as part of our prayer we sing! It is a lovely thing to be able to sing - and to sing to God!

There are many beautiful hymns included in the Liturgy of the Hours and our community has our own song book filled with songs and hymns for general use and for use during the various liturgical seasons of the year. Right now we are singing the beautiful, poignant hyms of Advent. What a joy! These hymns are prayers phrased so beautifully in poetic language. Let me share one with you.

Refrain: For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you.

Verses: O Lord of Light, our only hope of glory, your radiance shines in all who look to you. Come, light the hearts of all in darkness and shadow.

O Spring of Joy, rain down upon our spirits, our thirsty hearts are yearning for your Word. Come, make us whole, be comfort to our hearts.

O Root of Life, implant your seed within us, and in your advent, draw us all to you, our Hope reborn in dying and in rising.

O Key of Knowledge! guide us in our pilgrimage, we ever seek, yet unfulfilled remain. Open to us the pathway of your peace.

Find the Advent hymns in your prayer book or in your parish Sunday missal and sing them. Sing them in the car, at home while you work, or as a family before your meal. Sing! Singing lightens the heart and lifts up our eyes to Heaven!

O Come, O Come, Emmanual, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! O Israel! To thee shall come Emmanuel!