Sing a new song to the Lord
May 15, 2023 - Monday, Sixth Week of Easter
Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
When the people of Israel saw the dead bodies of the Egyptian soldiers on the shores of the Red Sea, Moses, Miriam, and the people of Israel sang a song to the Lord (see Ex 15:1-18; 21). When Israel defeated the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, who oppressed them, the leaders of the people, Deborah and Barak, sang a song to the Lord (see Judges 4:1-5:31). When David killed the giant Goliath, the women sang a song of victory (see 1 Sam 18:7) and David himself sang a song of victory “on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” (2 Sam 22:1-51).
As we move to the New Testament, the singing continues. We find in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1-2), the song of Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. Jesus sang the psalms at the Last Supper (see Matt 26:30) and Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God while in prison (see Acts 16:25). In the Book of Revelation, we have a new song that praises the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ for his sacrifice on behalf of humanity (see Rev 5:9-10) and another new song being sung only be the redeemed - nobody else could learn that song (see Rev 14:3). The last song mentioned in the Bible is the one of Moses and of the Lamb that praises God for his justice sang by those who conquered the apocalyptic beast (see Rev 15:2-4).
Someone estimated that there are 185 songs in the entire Bible. Those songs played an important role in the common liturgy and private devotion. Being passed from one generation to the next, they sustained the faith, taught the lessons of the history of salvation, imparted wisdom, helped to express the people’s innermost emotions, warned about the consequences of disobedience and promised God’s blessing to the faithful. Those songs inspired Christians to write new songs that advise us how to live as Christ’s followers, new songs against heresies and in defence of orthodoxy, and new songs that spread the faith. They have been composed in different languages of the faithful and some became known globally, while others remained local.
“Sing a new song to the Lord”. Today, the songs remain a powerful vehicle for spreading the Gospel. As Christians, new people transformed by God’s grace, we should sing a new song to the Lord. But let us never forget the words of Saint Augustine who said that our lives should never contradict what we sing with our lips. We should sing not just with our voices and lips, but also with our hearts and with our lives. And so to sing a new song to the Lord means to live what we express in our songs. As Saint Augustine puts it: “Live good lives, and you yourselves will be his praise”.