May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.
Happy Mother’s Day! A few weeks ago I was in York, England visiting the cathedral there. The Minster is set atop a hill, rising high above the Victorian roofline straight out of a Dickens’ novel. It is a striking building in an otherwise ordinary English city. One might wonder why such a grand building was built there. It is not an anomaly however. In Lincoln, Wells, and Ely, their cathedrals tower seemingly out of nowhere. This begs the question then of why the denizens of these medieval villages spent literally over a century, sometimes two, building these great temples.
The vision and dedication required for such a project could only be inspired by one thing: faith. Only faith can inspire a commitment that lasts a lifetime. If one were to propose the erection of a building on the scale and in the style of those Norman and Gothic masterpieces, they would be laughed out of the room by their investors. The belief that worship to God requires beautiful architecture has disappeared from the modern world. Thank goodness we have buildings like Trinity to preserve the pursuit of praise through architecture.
Architecture is, in my thinking, one of four forms of worship. The other three are liturgy, the spoken word, and most importantly, music. Each of these forms builds on the foundation of the former. Liturgy requires architecture. The spoken word requires a liturgy for its context and architecture for its authority. Music requires all three: spoken word for inspiration, liturgy for context, and architecture for existence.
These forms of worship are all mentioned in scripture and have existed in pre-Christian religious traditions as well. However, a special fascination has always existed for music. In ancient Greece, philosophers and mathematicians studied music alongside arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy to develop an understanding of the universe. They believed that music was created by celestial bodies and called it the “harmony of the spheres.” Arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music continued to be taught together until the 14th century, when humanism became the lens through which the sciences and arts were taught. The pedagogy was formally codified in the sixth century by the philosopher and historian Beothius. So for over two thousand years, from the time of Pythagoras and the ancient Greek philosophers to the 14th century, music was taught among the highest order of the sciences.
From where then does this fascination with music arise? I think this quote from Leonard Bernstein, the champion of classical music in the 20th century sums it up: “Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything.” Bernstein encapsulates this idea that music does not just exist in space and time. Rather, it transcends the plane of human existence. It is therefore a perfect offering to God.
In our Gospel reading, Jesus says “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.” In my journey of faith, I have found that God speaks to me through music, the same way that Jesus speaks to his disciples. I only discovered that calling because of my mother who would let me sit next to her on the organ bench while she played her postlude. I learned the joy of music from her and have pursued that for nearly a decade now. It is what I am called to do in life and in service of God.
It was in fifth grade that I remember definitively deciding to pursue that calling. I wanted to be a director of music at a church like St. Thomas, where I work now as organ scholar. After working there this year, I still intend to go into cathedral or cathedral-like music but I do worry about its future. For in modern society we seem to have forgotten what it means to truly worship God. Shifts toward secularism in government, the rise of mindless corporations, and the embrace of anti-intellectualism in all aspects of society have fundamentally changed culture. We, as a whole society, no longer look to God for guidance and comfort, we pray for our political leaders to save us from the ambiguous other and to CEO’s for our every need.
We as a society need to wholly return to a God-centered lifestyle. That does not mean forsaking the comforts of modern society or returning to a medieval theocracy, but rather recognizing that God has breathed life into us and furnished us with the tools needed to live it faithfully and successfully. We have a choice: whether or not we allow ourselves to be called, led, restored, and comforted by God, or to replace him with money, ambition, political leaders, or corporations. We must not allow ourselves to become illusioned by that world of avarice. We must accept Jesus’ call, to follow him and dedicate ourselves and our means to him.
Trinity embodies this dedication to true worship of God. Here we practice earnest liturgy, maintain beautiful architecture, encourage powerful spoken word, and support transcendental music. But worship is not a one-time thing. Devoting ourselves to follow the call is not just showing up on Sunday or tything. It is making an active sacrifice in service to God day in and day out. Whether this means saying a bedtime prayer, or attending noon mass, or simply taking a moment to find a spot of beauty in the busy world around us, we must accept God’s calling. Only then will we dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen
Spoken by Jon Bolena
Sunday, May 11, 2025
