Alleluia! How great it is to once again proclaim as the family of God that Jesus is risen from the tomb during this Easter season! Our celebration of Easter is in many ways the summit of our liturgical year as Catholics, which means that we celebrate some of the most beautiful liturgies of the year. A large aspect of these beautiful liturgies is music, especially as we once again sing alleluia and rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord. In preparing for the music of Holy Week and Easter, I began to reflect on how important music is in the life of our Church, and in particular, how important it has become in my own vocation and ministry.
I have always loved music, but before I entered the seminary, I was crippled by stage fright and was never able to be a part of making music with or for other people. However, during my first week at the college seminary at St. Andrew’s Hall, all of us new men were put through a “voice test” to determine who would be a cantor. Sure enough, I was picked to be one of the house cantors, so I was pushed to overcome that fear that had crippled me before entering the seminary. At the time, I did not realize that overcoming my stage fright through being a cantor at the seminary would enable me to more freely and generously use the gifts that God has given me for ministry outside of the seminary community. During the COVID lockdown in the spring of 2020, I offered my first concert and music meditation as a way to be active in ministry in some way while we were all separated from one another. In offering that first concert, I discovered a new way to use my love of music in ministry, beyond simply serving as a cantor at liturgies. Now, I regularly offer concerts as meditations on various themes with the hope of fostering relationships with God through music.
As I continue to grow in this ministry, I have been reflecting on why music is such a good way for us to grow in our relationships with God. First, as we hear in various places in Sacred Scripture, we raise our voices in song as one of the primary ways to worship God. So, music is a great and beautiful mode of worship. Beauty is another aspect of music’s effectivity, as God is beauty itself. Because God is beauty itself, we are naturally drawn to Him when we hear something beautiful, like good music. This is why having a good parish music ministry is so important, as music is a primary aspect of our communal worship and can be a reflection of God who is Beauty itself. The lyrics in music also play a large role in its effect on the spiritual life as lyrics can lead us toward God. Lyrics of many hymns and the texts of sacred music often provide us with theological principles and insights, expanding our knowledge of God and prompting further reflection on the mysteries of our faith. These are just a few ways that music can bring us to growth in our relationships with God, but there are certainly many more. So, when I offer my concerts, these are the effects that I work to produce. And we all should be eager to partake in the music of our Church’s liturgies as a way for us to actively participate in our worship of God, to reflect on His beauty, and to grow in our knowledge of Him and the truths of our faith.
Nickolas Naticchione
Latest posts by Nickolas Naticchione (see all)
- Summer Lovin’ in the Heart of Jesus - June 6, 2023
- Music: A Path to Deepening Our Relationships with God - April 11, 2023
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