by Fr. David Cinquegrani, CP
What does it mean to meditate on and ultimately to preach the Passion of Jesus Christ? Is there a formula somewhere, devised by Saint Paul of the Cross, for this pursuit, one that can be followed in exacting detail for a successful outcome? And are there ways to preach the message of a Crucified Redeemer that have yet to be named or determined by us who call ourselves Passionists?
These questions arose in me early in my Passionist life. Wanting to follow the example of others who had been effective at preaching the Passion, there seemed to be a limited number of ways to that end. Donning a black habit with a white cross over the heart and extracting every passage from scripture that dealt with suffering seemed like a good beginning. But I soon discovered there is plenty of suffering in the world without having to highlight the agony with more sad words. And besides all that, most of the Passionists I knew were very joyful!
Our beloved Founder, Paul Daneo, understood, more than three hundred years ago, that the main aspect people needed to know about the Passion was that it conveyed God’s unfailing love for us. That was the heart of the matter. And how Passionists conveyed that message was up to each person and his individual gifts. Even Paul himself resisted the structures set forth for preaching by not initially seeking ordination in order to do so. But we are a culture that at once shuns and equally embraces structure, and so we Passionists conformed for many years to solid parameters within which we could, in fact, preach Christ Crucified.
This may be the reason that, over thirty years ago, my first formation director sat me down for a talk one day saying: “David, you are a musician joining an order that preaches. Do you realize you may never sit at an organ bench again? Is this what you want?” And then, a few weeks later, the same director asked me to take over the music for our Community liturgies. I now find the humor in this, but at the time, it was more of a subtle reassurance that I was in the right place and with the right gifts to preach the Passion to the world.
“From the child in its mother’s womb to the dying patient in hospice care, music penetrates barriers and reaches the places of greatest need, of grief and suffering.”
The discovery of a perfect formula to convey the love of God and the memory of the Passion takes each Passionist on a life-long journey. Mine led me to see how the singular investment of each Passionist in actualizing his own personal gifts could produce the most natural and sincere, if not incredibly effective, method of telling the story of God’s love.
As a music educator, liturgical musician, and composer, I uncovered the ability to respond to God’s call as a Passionist religious and as a priest precisely because I engaged with the skills that God had given me. I also realized that it was in the very work I was doing, in the music I was creating, that God was continually revealed. And often I would be reminded of the fact that one doesn’t need to go looking for the Crucified of today; they will be found wherever we Passionists are – waiting for us to love them. Music has been the key to this discovery on my sacred journey.
We know that the sound of music can inspire, it can comfort, and heal the human heart. Music is a medium through which the voice of God, the presence of the Divine, speaks to all of creation. It is a language unto itself but one that is understood by all. From the child in its mother’s womb to the dying patient in hospice care, music penetrates barriers and reaches the places of greatest need, of grief and suffering. It carries God’s love to the soul and places one directly into the heart of Christ, the dwelling place of the Creator’s love.
What permission do I have to make such bold statements? I rely on what has been verified by my life experience. I have seen how music can enfold a grieving family with a mantle of care at the funeral of a young person who succumbed to opioid addiction, or where it has held up the spouse who lost his young wife after battling cancer. People will say consistently that at the time of profound grief they heard nothing that was spoken, but what they remember was the comforting music, the only thing they could lean into when all else was collapsing.
Here, in moments of struggle such as these, I was able to see the love of God made manifest for the crucified of today. Fr. Roger Mercurio, C.P., writes this: “Another aspect of the ‘memory of the passion’ (Memoria Passionis) calls Passionists to contemplate Jesus crucified and also the many crucifieds of today, such as the poor, the suffering, the sinner and the abandoned. We find them in our cities and villages, where they speak to us of the sufferings of Christ in today’s world.” (from “The Passionists” p. 168)
My Passionist heart was drawn into the need of these “crucified ones” and with young and old, music has been the conduit of God’s consoling love that has enabled me to reach them with the message of the Cross.
One day, while teaching my little second grade students to sing the great African American spiritual “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?”, one student began to cry as we were singing. I asked her why she was crying. She said the music made her realize how much Jesus loved her. The words, “Oh, oh, oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble”, combined with the soaring musical line, created the right combination for this young child to grasp, deep in her soul, what was beyond human description or understanding. It was the music, in fact, that preached the message, and in that moment, I, too, began to weep, which caused the entire class to start crying! Tears flowed in abundance because in that moment we were literally caught up in the rapture of God’s love. And that moment will not soon be forgotten.
The experience of those children brings forth the familiar example of Saint Francis of Assisi who said to his monks: "Go into every town, city, and village and preach the Gospel at all times and in all places. If it is absolutely necessary, use words." That says very clearly to me that there is more than one way to preach.
A joy in my Passionist experience has been to study the texts of our Founder’s letters to his spiritual directees and to set some of them to music. When I was invited to produce the first of six recordings of my music with my brother Passionists and some associates, I began by excising parts of the Founder’s letters and praying with them. Once set to music, I shared the songs with other Passionists. The surprising reaction was disbelief in the veracity of the content! One esteemed Passionist, upon hearing certain verses, uttered aloud: “These are not from Saint Paul of the Cross!” I had to produce the source and page number from the book “Words from the Heart.” This is a collection of personal letters of the Founder compiled by three Passionist historians: Edmund Burke, Roger Mercurio and Silvan Rouse. The music so enlivened the texts that they seemed different from anything most Passionists had ever heard coming from Saint Paul of the Cross. That was a delight for me – to recognize the power of music to highlight what might have been previously overlooked! And, for the record, I did forgive the doubter!
“Singing elevates the soul to listen to the Spirit.” These words were spoken by Pope Francis in a message to a choir visiting Rome in November 2018. He went on to say: “Singing is a language that leads to the communion of hearts. Crossing every boundary, through music, you spread a message of peace and solidarity.”
Fr. David Cinquegrani (PAUL)
Following on this message, in the recent times both of COVID – 19 and of the racial unrest that was spawned worldwide, I witnessed how music played a role in both soothing the weary and giving voice to the oppressed by expressing a clarion outcry of injustice in our broken world. While humanity sheltered away, musical renderings online helped to muster hope. While marchers took to the streets in protest, songs like “We Shall Overcome” invoked the spirit of true righteousness and peace. The power of music in this historical time cannot be overstated. It became a treasure of inestimable value for a universe wounded and in pain.
What does it mean to meditate and preach the Passion? It is to connect, indeed, with the overflowing grace that comes from the God of love. Therefore, may the sound of music fill us, encourage us, and awaken us to that indescribable love that for Saint Paul of the Cross brought forth a spiritual conversion and a deep, inner joy. And may we, Passionists, spread that joy far and wide with a song in our hearts. † Amen.
David Cinquegrani, C.P., a member of Saint Paul of the Cross Province (PAUL) entered the Congregation in 1989. David has been a music educator and choir director for forty years and has taught on elementary, secondary and college levels. He is currently the Retreat Director at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford and directs the music ministry of over 120 individuals while teaching K-8 music in the local Catholic grade school. He has produced six recordings of music which are available on the website: www.holyfamilyretreat.org
Links:
(Beautiful Anthem with Full Choir)
Sing Forth His Glorious Name - https://vimeo.com/340716465
(2 “Virtual Songs” prepared during COVID)
YOUTH CHOIR: All That Is Good - https://vimeo.com/421905810
ADULTS: We Are Many Parts - https://vimeo.com/410704428