From the last years of Haydn, the matchless Austrian musician, comes an incident of stirring interest. You have all heard, or at least have heard about, Haydn's celebrated oratorio or musical production called "Creation." He tells in thrilling music the story of how God made the world.
In 1808, in the Music Hall of Vienna, this musical masterpiece was rendered by a group of accomplished artists-a skilled orchestra and a well-trained chorus. Haydn himself was there, having been brought into the hall in a wheel-chair.
Each note, each line of the performance raised the audience to new heights of enthusiasm. Finally came the brilliant passage with the words, "And there was light." The chorus and orchestra burst forth in full power. The breathless audience was keyed to the highest pitch by the presence of the author himself. No longer could the people restrain themselves. In the midst of the music the throng jumped to its feet and burst into rapturous applause. The aged composer struggled to a standing position and motioned for silence. He lifted his shaky hand high up toward the heavens and cried out with all his strength:
"No, no, not from me, but from thence comes all."Weak and exhausted, he fell back into his chair. He was satisfied, however. He had given the glory and credit to God. He was taken from the hall through lines of moistened eyes and admiring hearts.
"From thence comes all!" Would that everyone of us had the intelligence to realize that everything comes from God. Then would we worship God with every power we have. Then would we keep the First Commandment which requires that we worship the Lord.
We respect everyone who is superior to us in power, experience, knowledge or virtue. We reverence kings and presidents; we honor scientists and teachers; we revere the good and virtuous. The greater a man's power and ability, the greater our esteem and reverence for him. God is boundlessly superior to us in every way. To Him we owe the greatest respect, which we call adoration or worship.
God is all-powerful. He made the world and everything in it. He is all-wise. The leaf of a tree proves that. God is all-kind. He takes care of all who trust in Him. As Jesus tells us today: "The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise, the poor have the gospel preached to them." St. Matthew, 11:4-5.
When we consider how good God is in Himself and how good He is tous, we cry out:
"Worthy art thou, 0 Lord our God,1. To adore means to admit in our hearts and in our actions that God is supreme. Adoration includes the idea that without God we are miserable and helpless.
to receive glory and honor and power;
For thou hast created all things,
and because of thy will they were, and were created."
Apoc.4:11.
2. We adore God interiorly and exteriorly. By faith we accept everything He has made known to us. By hope we expect from Him all good things. By charity we love Him above all things.
3. Exteriorly we adore God by vocal prayer, sacrifice, genuflections, folding of hands, striking the breast and bowing the head. These movements of the body express what is in the soul. You have done these very things this morning. You genuflected, made the sign of the cross, folded your hands, bowed your heads. You know that Almighty God is present here upon the altar. With regard to these ceremonies we must keep a few points in mind:
a. Exterior devotion helps interior devotion. You can pray better with your hands folded and head bowed. Nature demands that we express with our tongue and hands and body the feelings in our souls.4. Lastly, we must pay supreme worship to God alone, for He alone is the sovereign, supreme Lord of heaven and earth. "I am the Lord, thy God, thou shalt not have strange gods before me." Of false gods and false worship we shall speak more fully on some other Sunday.
b. On the other hand, merely to kneel and bow the head without having the feelings that should go with these actions, is to perform lifeless and meaningless movements, which are not true adoration.
c. Avoid all exaggeration in your devotions. True adoration is cheerful, sensible, simple, thoughtful.
Today we must realize the necessity of worshipping God. Today we must bring home to ourselves that God is supreme and that He requires and demands supreme worship and adoration.
In Holy Mass we are offering the Almighty the most pleasing sacrifice, the most pleasing form of acknowledgment that He is above all men and above all things.
Like the composer Haydn, look up to the heavens every morning, especially with your heart, and cry out:
"From thence comes all!" Yes, from God comes all. And for that reason, to God, back to God, we are going to give the adoration and worship of our hearts and bodies and very lives. Amen.
__________________________________
Adapted from Talks on the Commandments by Fr. Arthur Tonne
No comments:
Post a Comment