From our own experience, we know that our people is bound to the art in the variety of its expressions. One of the most common artistic expressions near to our people is the music. The music is present in all the aspects of our life. We use music celebrate many events of the daily life.

Our celebrations of our daily life collect our experiences of life. The celebrations are connected with the sacred - Although not exclusively - when we use music in our liturgical celebrations.

San Agustín said that when we elevate our voices with inspired songs we pray twice. “Who sings prays twice.” Our people knows it very well and they use it in a very creative way when is freed from the formalisms and the rigid patterns that we sometimes get used.

Since Vatican II we experienced a liturgical renovation, the popular music rooted in our traditions and customs enriched and it still enriches our liturgical celebrations.

There are thousands the songs or inspired hymns that have incorporated to our celebrations in the last decades. The composers, and lay singers have contributed with a lot of love, affection and energy to the enrichment of our musical culture.

Every time I remember the word that the Pope John Paul II said to the North American singer Bob Dylan, I do it with happiness. That encounter, renew my commitment to be a good Christian and popular singer and composer. Bob Dylan composed many years ago a song called “Blowing in the wind” that to the Pope Juan Pablo II likes a lot. (The Spanish version of Bob Dylan’s melody is “to know that you will come”, adapted by Gilmer Torres). In this song as in many other, we see how the popular things, also expresses the divine things expressed by our people.

It is not necessary to use the songs only because they are beautiful. We should know when and how to use the songs. If we use the songs properly, they will give more sense to our liturgical celebrations. I would like to point out some considerations that are important before using the popular songs in our celebrations.

• The title given by the author. Each song responds to the living experience of a person or community. For that reason it is important to know and to respect the original title.
• The author. To know the author of each song helps us to realize to which reality the song responds.
• The author’s nationality. It helps us to understand the place and time in which the author wanted to write and to interpret that song.
• The content. It helps us to understand the reason and the theme that the author wanted to transmit to us and also to identify the place in which we should use the song during our celebrations.
• The melody and the rhythm. They allow us to understand to what kind of public the author wanted to reach.

Does it sound complicated, isn’t it? But not. They are very simple if we approach to the song with love, respect and good intention.

When using the popular songs, let us try to find the marked points and we will see how our songs will make a more complete and richer sense in intention and content.

Well it is worth the effort and it doesn’t cost a lot!.

PEACE AND JOY IN THE LORD OF LIFE