A Whisper of the Divine

I first heard the theme song of the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in full during a baptismal service at the Archbishop’s Palace last week. The tune sounded a bit familiar; perhaps I had already heard portions of it previously, either in radio or television plugs for next year’s big event. That morning, the song “Christ in Us, Our Hope of Glory” was quite an experience for me.

The blending of the musical geniuses of the University of the Visayas Chorale and the Jose R. Gullas Visayanian Orchestra drew out a certain kind of “high” in me. The transcendent voices of the choristers together were just perfect to carry the intense melody and soul-stirring lyrics of the song. The tender wailing of the instruments – the violin in particular – brought the emotional trip even higher.

No doubt, the words of the song alone are already powerful enough to nudge any emotionally fatigued or calloused heart. These make the suffering and death of the Christ on the cross take on some real meaning. But, often, such affectation reaches only the intellectual self.

With good melody, the message reaches deeper.  And the message becomes much more than the words. The song becomes an emotional – even spiritual – event.

This is exactly the kind of experience I had with the IEC theme song. I am easily carried away by words that speak well. When meaningful words get cloaked in appropriate tune, I am blown away. 

No, it is not God directly who makes it so.  It is the working of a human invention that God has imbued with such power. It is called art.

Art – in this case, music – has the capacity to momentarily transport the human consciousness to another place and time – even to another dimension. Various other art forms are known to help heal ailment, both physical and mental. It would seem that art is God’s liniment for alleviating human afflictions.

If viewed that way, art then also exalts man’s faith in God. Art has the power to condition a willing person to be sensitive to God’s all-embracing presence. It can provide man with a peek to things beyond his physical senses.

While the great Beethoven may still cite some lack in the IEC theme song, I find it as enough of a celebration of my faith in God. “God in Us, Our Hope of Glory,” for me, is a whisper of the Divine.