Why Catholics Should Sing Good Hymns – 10

10. Because Goodness, Truth and Beauty lead us to God – Joseph Pearce wrote an article on this subject recently. He makes the point that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are like a little Holy Trinity. Beauty is True and Good. Goodness is Beautiful and True. Truth is Beautiful and Good. In a good hymn beauty, truth and goodness come together and as we sing the good hymn we participate in beauty, truth and goodness in one blended experience.

We affirm the truth in strong theology, Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church. We experience beauty in the beautiful poetry, the fine music and the inspiring sentiments and we participate in Goodness by joining ourselves with the worship of heaven, the communion of saints and the fellowship of believers here below. That the whole congregation joins in this act of Truth, Beauty and Goodness means that we share together a communal experience that lifts all of us closer to God–who is Beauty, Truth and Goodness itself.

There is no other aspect of Christian worship which combines these three in one experience in the same way. This is why St Paul says that we should “sing pslams and hymns and spiritual songs.” It is part of our worship which is from the beginning and one which is terribly neglected today.

What can we do to encourage good singing in the Catholic Church? Better training for the congregation, more money invested in professional organists and choir masters. Better training in the history and theory of sacred music for seminarians. Better training in Catholic schools–starting children’s choirs and teaching the children to sing the great hymns of our heritage.