Hymns you know and love

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mathematoons

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Shortly after my conversion, I got into hymns because I knew that the music we listen to influences us. I found them extremely helpful for learning my new faith, and even now, I find them helpful for keeping my mind focused on God and not on my troubles. Because I listened to them so often (I don’t have much time for that now), I know many by heart. Plus, when I hear one at Mass that I really like, I memorize it. Because I know many secular songs with wicked lyrics by heart despite trying to forget them (one of the problems with having been an atheist) after many years, even that fact gives me comfort, because I know that I will still know these hymns 20 years from now.

Does anyone here know any hymns by heart? Which ones do you keep going back to and singing through the years?

For me, here is my list of favorites:

Amazing Grace
Faith of Our Fathers
Fill My Cup, Lord
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
How Can I Keep From Singing?
The King of Love My Shepherd Is

There are many more, but these are my favorites. I even like a few Protestant hymns that I have not found in Catholic hymnals, such as “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms” and “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”
 
Anything by Frederick William Faber, an Oxford Movement convert from the Church of England and a noted advocate of congregational singing, is quite good to me: Faith of Our Fathers, There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, etc. On top of that, one can’t beat the austere beauty of older Latin hymns: any of the Marian antiphons, Adoro te Devote, O Sanctissima, and so forth.
 
“Holy God We Praise Thy Name,” has stayed with me, as have Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris, in Latin of course. “Come Holy Ghost” has also. Pretty much everything else I need the hymnal for.
 
*Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? *

It always makes me tear up, and I really don’t like to tear up in public - so that part I don’t like. But one Good Friday many years ago a lady in the church who was intellectually disabled came up to me and said, “Everything will be all right.” I think that it was because I had teared up during the service, but it was like an angel has been sent to tell me not to worry so much. It was strangely comforting.
 
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent. The Singing Nuns of St. Paul do an excellent job with that one! :nun2:
 
bardegaulois said:
Anything by Frederick William Faber, an Oxford Movement convert from the Church of England and a noted advocate of congregational singing, is quite good to me: Faith of Our Fathers, There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, etc. On top of that, one can’t beat the austere beauty of older Latin hymns: any of the Marian antiphons, Adoro te Devote, O Sanctissima, and so forth.
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+1 regarding Father Faber’s hymns, especially “Jesus My Lord, My God, My All.” Even his devotional books read like poetry.

Lift High The Cross is one of my favorites, although we typically sing it only once a year, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14), and 'Tis Good Lord To Be Here, which we sing on the Feast of the Transfiguration (Aug. 6).
 
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