BLOG POST | Hey Deacon!

Why do we need to sing at Mass?

I’ve heard this question many times, followed by comments like: “Without music, the Mass could be over sooner and/or the homily longer; not everyone is blessed with a beautiful singing voice, so why force someone who can’t sing to sing?  And besides, God knows our prayers, why the need to sing?”
1
While all these sentiments are ‘factually’ true, there is a very good reason why we sing at Mass.  We sing at Mass because it brings deeper meaning and praise to God.  It draws us into union with the Angels.  It stirs in us the Holy Spirit and raises our prayers to God Himself.

St. Augustine explained hymns and singing in his sermon on Psalm 72.  He said, “Hymns are praises offered to God with singing; hymns are songs, with God’s praise as their theme…. For there to be a hymn, three elements are required: there must be praise, it must be for God, and it must be sung … The singer of praise is not only performing musically but showing love for the one who is sung about.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1157) makes a direct reference to Saint Augustine’s experience when it teaches that the music and song of the liturgy “participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.”

Singing at Mass provides the congregation an opportunity to respond. Instead of the priest always talking, the readers just reading and the congregation only listening, music and melody inspire us to sing, allowing us to actively participate in the Mass.  We listen and respond like a conversation during the “Lord, have mercy.” We join with the angels singing “Glory to God in the highest”. We also respond to the high prayer during the Consecration with a resounding “Amen”.  This musical ‘conversation’ draws us into the heavenly realm of singing along with the angels, who are constantly singing God’s praises.

The Mass itself is a song that is meant to be sung.  It is Jesus who sings when He institutes the Holy Eucharist (Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26), the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  We should not be surprised that for the vast majority of the past 2,000 years various parts of the Mass have been sung by priests and lay faithful.  Our collective participation makes Christ truly present in the liturgy.

When the church prays and sings, Christ is present.  The music should lift our souls and by our singing, we raise our needs to God in a unique voice of prayer. Even when we are burdened, song can lift our hearts in a way that spoken words may not be able to achieve.

He who sings prays twice --- St. Augustine