Today I begin a new series on Christian music. At Mass, we seem to keep repeating the same songs, but there are thousands of Christian songs out there that many of us have never read or sung.

My plan is to begin with a quote from the Bible drawn from the Mass readings of that particular day. Then I will include a song that is relevant to that quote. 

Many thanks to The Cyber Hymnal™ which lists over 11,000 Christian hymns with bios, midi files, and sheet music, most in the public domain.

Remember: "He who sings, prays twice." (Saint Augustine) Let us lift our voice in praise of the Almighty as we read (or sing) these beautiful songs. Enjoy!

____________________

"Let your mercy be upon us, O Lord, just as we have hoped in you." Psalm 33:22

LORD, THY MERCY NOW ENTREATING

by Mary Ann Sidebotham

Lord, Thy mercy now entreating,
Low before Thy throne we fall;
Our misdeeds to Thee confessing,
On Thy name we humbly call.

Sinful thought and words unloving,
Rise against us one by one;
Acts unworthy, deeds unthinking,
Good that we have left undone.

Hearts that far from Thee were straying,
While in prayer we bowed the knee;
Lips that, while Thy praises sounding,
Lifted not the soul to Thee.

Precious moments idly wasted,
Precious hours in folly spent;
Christian vow and fight unheeded;
Scarce a thought to wisdom lent.

Lord, Thy mercy still entreating,
We with shame our sin would own;
From henceforth, the time redeeming,
May we live to Thee alone.

Scriptural texts: Ronald L. Conte Jr., translator and editor: The SacredBible, Catholic Public Domain Version, Original Edition.
Song retrieved from The Cyber Hymnal™ which lists over 11,000 Christian hymns with bios, midi files, and sheet music.

____________________

Here is Psalm 12 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child." 

Psalm 12  Prayer for deliverance from evil answered by Jesus who saves us through His Resurrection19. 1Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases to be, For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. 2They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak. 3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things; 4Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?" 5"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy, Now I will arise," says the LORD; "I will set him in the safety for which he longs." 6The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. 7You, O LORD, will keep them; You will preserve him from this generation forever. 8The wicked strut about on every side When vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Deliver me, Lord, from the ungodly and unfaithful (12:1). They lie and flatter each other (12:2). Lord, silence the flatterers and the boastful (12:3) who defy anyone to set limits on their speech (12:4). "I will rise up (resurrection)," says the Lord, "on behalf of the persecuted and the needy and provide the refuge they seek (12:5)." The Lord's Word is good as gold (12:6). He will do what He says and He will preserve His own from the wicked generation who are found everywhere that vile men are held in estime (12:6). Prayer for Life: Save me, O Lord, from this wicked generation who have no fear of You. They spread their lies. They boast of their great wisdom: "The baby you carry is not a real person. Do with it what you want. Nobody can tell you what to do with your body." Help me, Lord, to stand up to these lying unbelievers. You are truth itself and can not deceive or be deceived. Therefore, when You say that all life is sacred from conception to birth, I believe it. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

¹⁹The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 688. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.