| Tibi, Christe, splendor Patris, Vita, virtus córdium. In conspéctu Angelórum. Votis, vocis psállimus: Alternántes concrepándo Melos damus vócibus. Collaudámus venerántes Omnes cæli mílites sed præcípue primátem. Cæléstis exércitus Michaélem in virtúte Conteréntem zábulum. Quo custóde procul pelle Rex Christe piissime Omne nefas inimíci. Mundo corde’et córpore Paradíso redde tuo nos sola cleméntia. Glóriam Patri melódis Personémus vócibus; Glóriam Christo canámus, Glóriam Paráclito, Qui trinus et unus Deus Exstat ante sǽcula. Amen. |
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St. Michael, the Warrior Primate
The Almighty’s acts of performative speech, making creation out of nothing, saying “let there be … and there was”, were once conceived as song; and our inheritance as being made in the image and likeness of God, needs to follow, expressing holy joy in song.
JRR Tolkien presents this history using a musical analogy:
“God made first the angels, that were the offspring of His thought, and they were with Him before anything else was made. And He spoke to the Angels, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before Him, and He was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of the mind of God from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. … But as the theme progressed, it came into the heart of Satan to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of God, for he sought therein to increase the power and glory of the part assigned to himself.” – The Silmarillion.