Sometimes we love a song so much we play it over.
And over.
And over.
The tune and words morph into an ear worm, burrowing deep into our memory. We hum it. We day-dream to it. Years later it has the power to move time and place into the present.
We can also easily tire of a song. We might have liked it once. Really liked it. Now, it fails to move us. Even worse, it may become annoying. We’re done with it.
SING A NEW SONG!
Psalms and hymns are filled with joyous shouts of “SING A NEW SONG!” Stop for a moment. I bet that a song or psalm phrase is going through your mind right now.
And yet, we are part of a church that tells us what to sing, when to sing, and how to sing. We sanctify tradition, equating it with holiness. We sing of new songs, but seldom sing new songs.
Dare we explore new ways of believing, praying and expressing our faith? Heavens, no, say the defenders of Mother Church. We still haven’t got over the Protestant Reformation when all those nasty men and women dared to stray from our centuries old tradition. Dared to question. Dared to seek personal paths to God and holiness. New ways are a threat to our unity, say the defenders.
This is what we have always believed.
This is how we’ve always prayed.
This is who has always led the prayer. Held the power. Made all the decisions.
WE MAY SING OF NEW SONGS,
BUT SELDOM SING NEW SONGS.
I’ve been dragging my feet to go to Sunday Mass for years. It’s only an hour of my life, I tell myself, but it’s a burden. I go because my hubby goes. Often, he goes alone.
I used to love the Mass, even attending daily when I could. I can sometimes stir up those happy memories, but usually the bad memories of past hurts take over. Where once there was nourishment, there is now a sense of purgatory time.
Long.
Tedious.
Not real pain yet suffering nonetheless.
Purgatory time.
I try not to blame others for my lack of enthusiasm. There is no magic priest. No magic choir. No magic parish. What would change this for me? How can I change? I’m not sure.
Is the song old, or am I simply tired of hearing it?
I NEED A NEW SONG!
I firmly believe that faith, like love, follows a circular movement of ROMANCE – DISILLUSIONMENT – TRUE JOY. I’m no stranger to disillusion in my faith life. I’m even more experienced in disillusion with the church. I’m curious to know where the disillusion will lead me at this stage in life.
What new songs will I hear?
What new songs will I sing?
What about you?
catholic dialogue 
There is so much more in this essay than “songs” and singing. Unless we we find new songs to sing the music will disappear, so to the muse. Then how will the Muse find us?
A “new song” offering:
THERE’S A PLACE
There’s a place on this earth for us all
If there’s peace in my heart where I dwell
When the good that I feel‘s from the deed that I do
It’s the start of the world that I need
When the child takes a drink from your cup
And the girl drops the stone she would throw
And you do the same when you meet at the wire
It’s the start of the world that you need
There’s a place on this earth for us all
If there’s love in your heart where you dwell
And the good that you feel’s from the deed that you do
It’s the start of the world that we need
If there’s truth it’s a beautiful flower
My belief’s but one petal I’m sure
If it’s like that for me, it is also for you
‘Cause we’re joined at the soul you and I
There’s a place on this earth for us all
If there’s love in our hearts you and me
And the good that we feel’s from the deed that we do
It’s the start of the world we all need