Monday, February 14, 2022

Modern Christian prophets and Mary's lyrics

 In 2021, I did two posts on my ReservoirOfHope.blog about faith. Excerpts and links below:


Simone Biles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil
(Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil) CC BY 2.0


Simone Biles and Rachael Denhollander: Modern Christian Prophets

Susan Bigelow Reynolds about Simone Biles. She said that the most well-known victim-survivor of U.S.A. Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse “has assumed the role of a prophet, ​​publicly calling the institution to account and refusing to simply go away.” As a victim-survivor of sexual violence myself, that framing of whistle-blowing as prophetic is comforting, validating, and powerful.

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Restoring a Lyric for Generations

In an article in National Catholic Reporter, I had noted that in a much loved version of the Magnificat by now maligned composer David Haas, the line with which the prayer is most identified, “lifting up the lowly,” is missing. Inspired by my reflection, Tony Alonso corrected the omission in his new version of “Holy Is Your Name,” published in 2021. Song lyrics embed in our subconscious, influencing our thinking, so it is fun to know that I influenced one phrase in one verse that will be sung for generations!

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