It is autumn in this region, and lately, I’ve noticed the sounds distinctive to the season: acorns bouncing off the roof, thumping to the ground, their crunch underfoot, the rustle of walking through leaves, and the wind whistling through branches of dry foliage.
It’s interesting which sounds draw our attention and how they make us feel.
We might recognize a friend’s voice in a crowd of conversations because their particular voice resonates within us more deeply than all the others. Perhaps it is because we have a learned preference for the sound of their person – acquired with time and affection.
At eleven years old or so, I often played in the neighborhood a block away from my house. By late afternoon, I was supposed to come home. I would sometimes delay. I recall my mother’s distant voice calling me home. It was unmistakable even amid the city noise.
We recently rediscovered a video from a few years ago of one of our grandsons playing a recital on piano. I’ve always found the tone and vitality of the piano a compelling sound – lively and reflective – expressing so many feelings. We could see his concentration and sincerity, focused on the keyboard, the music, and tempo of the piece. He was a beginning student, and we admired his efforts to play and be faithful to the notes. It was quite marvelous, a gift to us, a few moments of musical delight, a joyful grace.
Music celebrates the sincerity of our hearts, mysteriously linking voice and feeling, sound and spirit. When we express ourselves musically, we join the chorus of all the sounds of creation, giving praise to our Creator.
St. Francis of Assisi, 13th-century mystic and founder of the Franciscans, celebrated the natural world as filled with creatures giving praise to the God who made them all.
In his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis observed, “What is more, Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness.” (para. 12)
I believe the sounds of creation, including our musical expression, are gifts to contemplate. They uplift and inspire, entertain and heal – ways in which God’s Spirit continues to recreate us.
In our family prayer during the Month of the Holy Rosary, let us pray to hear the sounds that bring us joy.