A Garden Hymnal VID 6

My parents, while not professional musicians, loved to sing. Singing was our family’s soul, as daily ditties and most especially at festive table fellowship. Dad sang tenor in the WWII Army Chorus and our extremely professional parish choir. Mama sang all over the home, basement, and yard, so much so that in her last nine years as a resident of a health care facility she was dubbed, “Singing Sophie.”

School years expanded the girth of our domestic hymnal with multi-lingual liturgical and devotional lyrics flowing from my parent’s experience. Panis Angelicus, the Gregorian Kyries, Sanctus’ and Agnus Dei formed the core.  The Ave Maria was never overlooked. 

Treasures of this ethnic heritage family/church hymnal, wove their way through pages and seasons.  A closer examination showed the collection to be a floral hymnal.  Many, almost every month, celebrated floral poetry and its spiritual symbolism.

Among the most unique examples is a carol, “Hay of the Meadow” (Śliczna Panienka) calling Jesus the “flower of Nazareth” which when “cast into the hay as a celestial star, it did not consume the hay of his manger.”  The meditative lullaby carol reflects on Jesus as the eternal Word which spoke to Moses out of Exodus’ burning bush.”  Such exquisite fuel for meditation.

An Easter Resurrection procession anthem proclaims the victorious Lord rising as a beauteous flower, “Christ the Lord” (Wesoły nam dzieň dziś nastał).  I could not help relating this verse to the fragrant blooms of Easter lilies comprising a central focus of the devotional depiction of the Lord’s now empty Garden Tomb. Through Good Friday evening and Holy Saturday, we prayed and lit candles at Christ’s rock hewn tomb surrounded by plots of hope, springtime rebirth; namely: multicolor hyacinths, rhododendron, crocuses, pussy willow, palm trees, ivy, tulips, daffodils, and narcissuses.

May brought full-bloomed meadows, floral beds, and fields to the Crown of all God’s Handiwork and Queen of all Creation, Mama Mary (“All Creation Bless” or Chwalcie Łąki).  This included greenery of fragrant, herbal grasses, sweet flag reeds, birch and chestnut/linden branches.

The lyrics of “O Sing to the Queen of the Heavens” remind her devotees to “take roses and weave her a crown” (Królowej Anielskiej śpiewajmy). These words also extoll Mama Mary as “a lily arrayed in splendor.” Another celebrates Our Lady the “most fragrant of all flowers, the splendid lily.”  Lilies and roses as flowers of exquisite beauty, fragrance, and cost form the most extensive poetic reflections on Mary’s esteemed spiritual person. One cannot help but recall the lyrical fragrance in the Rosary Hymn “Take our hopes and tie them up as roses.” This same composition (Zawitaj Królowo Różańca Świętego) captures the Lady’s supernatural virtue as “the stainless and blissful lily of Paradise.” A unique Rosary verse in “Mary we greet you,” refers to Mama Mary as the “cedar of purity” (Zawitaj Matko Różańca Świętego), an allusion to the fragrant and towering biblical cedars of Lebanon.

Although not flora of the earth, however, their celestial counterparts, the stars of heaven reflect and radiate God’s favor and grace. Drawing from Biblical reflection of the Book of Revelations, Mama Mary appears crowned with stars (Rv 12:1) or as the “resplendent star” welcoming her pilgriming children in the Black Madonna hymn (Gwiazdo Śliczna).  As Star of the Sea in Ta Której berła, Mary is feted as a powerful woman ruling over governments, land and sea.

Reaching out to the stars, the hymnal refers to choirs of birds and mourning doves, earthly counterparts of the seraphim. The latter flying choir lauds Our Lady in the Black Madonna hymn “Star Resplendant”.  Winged creatures form a four-voice choir caroling for the Newborn.  Chirping nightingales, blue jays, father-and-son magpies, with a “collegiate cheer” sparrow wondrously resound through this carol’s onomatopoeic aviary verses. Cranes and roosters, at dawn, call humans to the stable. After all, what is a garden without feathered friends?!

The above poetic excursion into song moves emotions of the heart, calling forth passionate encounter, and loving commitment.  This garden hymnal is a liberating escape from idea music, exaggerated lilt, piano lounge accompaniment, and behavioral exhortation.  It balances sometimes trite, conceptual happiness themes with a spiritual realism from the fruitful soil which celebrates natural beauty and welcomes all to experience the splendor of God.

Next Saturday: Beads: Action Prayer Tools of Heaven Door spirituality

Next Saturday: Heaven Door Tool: Beads

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All video and textual content of St Casimir’s Series on the Domestic Church and Tandem Blog Articles © CzMKrysa, Buffalo, NY April-May 2020