The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time “You Alone” by Sarah Hart and Dwight Liles Alone...We all have those moments in our lives when we feel alone. These times often occur when we are faced with suffering such as illness or pain. Yes, others may experience the same illness or similar pain, but in that moment of suffering, we feel so alone. Jesus, too, must have felt that sense of loneliness as he lay on the ground with the weight of the heavy wood upon his torn and bleeding shoulders. In that moment, when all that his body longed to do was rest, he knew that he could remain on the ground, seemingly defeated by the heavy burden and the day’s torment, or he could stand up again and continue his journey to the hill where he would die for all of mankind. Knowing that the Heavenly Father would give him the strength, he stood. Out of his great mercy and love for all of us, he rose from the ground to painfully take the next steps toward the Cross of our salvation. “Mercy you have given, kindness you have shown. Love is you alone.” He stood up from that fall out of Love.
8th Station: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem and “Blessed and Beloved” by Lourdes Montgomery Reflection
“Blessed and Beloved”, by Lourdes Montgomery, is a favorite song of mine because of its interesting and memorable melody, its well-chosen words, and its passionate message. First, I read an article in Spanish to learn that the composer is from Havana, Cuba, but emigrated to the US at age five, eventually marrying a bass-playing music professor from Arkansas, Michel Montgomery. Lourdes writes instrumental music and is a renowned composer of bilingual hymns and liturgy.
As for the song, I appreciate its fresh and novel sound. “Blessed and beloved” starts on “re” ( very few songs do), and the constantly changing chords parallel the changing fortunes of those she is singing about. Being “poor and lowly” is only temporary—as the chords shift upward, this those unfortunate folks at the bottom rise become “ the pure and holy”. Likewise, with a resolved chord, those who “mourn in sorrow” become those who “ dance tomorrow.” The musical choices reflect the message. Lourde’s lyrics also flow because they are crafted with internal rhyme ( a word mid-sentence rhymes with the final word on the line). For example, “lowly/ holy” , “morrow--sorrow “, among others. Even more startling is that Lourdes’ Spanish lyrics do the same thing—“ deseperados, bienventurados—desemperados”, are a few examples. Being an English major, I love clever poetry, especially when the message is a paraphrase of lovely scripture like the Beatitudes . Likewise, the musician in me loves this hymn’s catchy melody, whose pleasing repetitions nevertheless sound different against new chords that climb by half steps . Finally, the linguist in me appreciates a songs that is so singable in Spanish and that has an equally passionate message in both languages. Paula Egan-Wright