[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3UYybc7Xa0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Today a mega post on Why Catholics Should Sing Good Hymns:

Here once again is a video of my favorite hymn, and here are the words by John Wesley:

O Thou who camest from above,
the pure celestial fire to impart
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return,
in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

The poetry of this hymn is simple, profound and well, perfect. The beautiful somewhat pensive tune matches the personal devotional element of the hymn with precision and grace. One of the great disappointments Protestants have when we come into the Catholic Church is the lack of enthusiasm among Catholic for good hymn singing. So here are ten reasons why Catholics should learn to sing good hymns:

1. God tells us to sing hymns.The Sacred Scriptures command us to sing. The psalms are ancient Hebrew hymns and they show the people of God lifting their voices in praise. Sacred Scripture is the inspired word of God, so God thought it was important enough that a big chunk of the Scriptures are actually the hymn book of the Hebrews. Furthermore, St Paul specifically gives instructions for Christian worship twice: Ephesians 5:19 – “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” and Colossians 3:16 – “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Go here for another great hymn and another great reason Catholics should learn to sing fine hymns.