O God Beyond All Praising
In this Sunday's Psalm (Psalm 145), the refrain proclaims “I will bless your name forever, my King and my God”, and the verses continue praising the Lord:
“I will extol you, My God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.”
In honour of this Psalm, we would like to share our latest video, "O God Beyond All Praising", a beautiful hymn written by Michael Perry to the melody THAXTED (otherwise known as the “Jupiter” theme from The Planets), a composition by the British composer Gustav Holst.
Perry created a majestic hymn of praise that is biblically rooted. The final line of the second stanza, “our sacrifice of praise,” comes directly from Psalm 116:17 and Hebrews 13:15. In stanza one, the phrase, “wait upon your word,” echoes Psalm 130:5. Another phrase from stanza one, “for we can only wonder at every gift you send,” resounds in the spirit of James 1:17. In the final stanza, the phrase “we’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still” was, according to the author, a “reflect[ion on] my remembered determination of youthful days to overcome acute disappointment and personal loss.”
A new second verse was added at the request of Roman Catholic composer Richard Proulx who wished to write an anthem based on the text. Since it was written for a specific Sunday based on the reading for the day (I Corinthians 15), it is usually omitted in hymnals (including the one in our Parish).
Interesting note, this hymn was requested by Princess Diana for her wedding in 1981. The song was repeated for her funeral in 1997 and again for the 10th anniversary observance of her death in 2007.
Video can be watched by clicking here or on the picture below:
As we end the month of October dedicated to the Holy Rosary, we’d like to share our video of “Songs to Mary”, a collection of beautiful Marian hymns and chants.
Video can be watched by clicking here or on the picture below.
Wishing everyone a relaxing and wonderful weekend.
God bless,
Edmar
