Most meaningful hymns?

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I’ve often heard Christianity praised for its hymns alone, but it wasn’t until I encountered traditional church music that I appreciated the claim. The first music I heard in the parish church that later adopted me had an immediate impact; I could not leave it. Music played a major role in starting my Christian life, and invariably after a Sunday service I find myself on YouTube attempting to find recordings of hymns I was just introduced to. I’m largely unfamiliar with their rich history, so I rarely know which tradition gave rise to a given hymn.

These are some of my favorites; I would like to explore yours. 🙂
  • Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
  • The Church’s One Foundation
  • We Know that Christ is Raised and Dies No More
  • Come, Ye Thankful People Come
  • Alleleuia, Sing to Jesus!
  • What Wondrous Love is This?
 
I like the melody of “The Church’s One Foundation” (Aurelia), but to a different hymn, “O Jesus Christ, Remember”:
  1. O Jesus Christ, remember,
    when thou shalt come again,
    upon the clouds of heaven,
    with all thy shining train;
    when every eye shall see thee
    in deity revealed,
    who now upon this altar
    in silence are concealed.
  2. Remember then, O Saviour,
    I supplicate of thee,
    that here I bowed before thee
    upon my bended knee;
    that here I owned thy presence,
    and did not thee deny,
    and glorified thy greatness
    though hid from human eye.
  3. Accept, divine Redeemer,
    the homage of my praise;
    be thou the light and honour
    and glory of my days.
    Be thou my consolation
    when death is drawing nigh:
    be thou my only treasure
    through all eternity.
This has been popular in England, as a traditional hymn used before or after Benediction. It is not well known in the USA.

youtube.com/watch?v=SooUSUvMeLE

About the author, the well-known hymn writer Fr. Edward Caswall, a 19th century Anglican priest who then became a Catholic priest: hymnary.org/text/o_jesus_christ_remember
 
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
In Paradesium
I Am the Bread of Life
Be Thou My Vision

…I’m sure I’ll come up with more…
 
Take Lord, Receive
O Sacrum Convivium
Pange Lingua
Ave Verum
Ave Maria O Maiden O Mother
At Evening
 
“How great Thou art”
“Lord of all Hopefulness, Lord of all joy”
“I the Lord of sea and sky”

There are too many to mention, but they heal our souls and make life feel better. 🙂
 
“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”
“To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King”
“All Glory, Laud, and Honor”
“Attende Domine”
The setting for Missa de Angelis and Missa Orbis Factor
 
Lord who at your first eucharist

'Oh Lord, we pray for wanderers from the fold; bring them back oh shepherd of the sheep…
 
CountrySteve said:
This is one of my favorites

youtube.com/watch?v=Ww-aOIQKMIc

Heres a translation preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/PangeF.html
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I agree this is simply a stunningly beautiful hymn. Used at Good Friday at the adoration of the Cross; but also in the Divine Office for Holy Week for Vigils and Lauds, the hymn is actually the original Pange Lingua, composed by Venantius Fortunatus in the 6th century. The better-known one is the Eucharistic one composed by St. Thomas Aquinas. This one relates to the Holy Cross. IMHO it is more beautiful than the Aquinas Pange Lingua.
 
Good thread! I’m singing as I go through my day!

I love almost all hymns from all times, and find meaning in them. I would have an easier time posting the very small list of hymns that I don’t like!

Probably my very favorite “Catholic” hymn is O Sacrament Most Holy, sung to the Fulda Melody. I think this hymn is gorgeous sung or listened to, and it’s gorgeous whether played on organ, piano, guitar, violin, flute, any other instrument (maybe not the banjo), a full orchestra, or acapella (this is rare for a hymn, IMO!) The words are a deeply meaningful prayer that absolutely touches my heart, and the melody is easily sung by any age.

We don’t sing this very often, and I wish we would. But maybe it would become ordinary and routine if we sang it every other week. I don’t think so, but others probably do.

We do sing lots of traditional hymns in our parish, and at the weekly Benediction, the Latin hymns are sung. I’m not fond of the Latin hymns, or any hymn in any language other than English (and that includes Kum Bayah). If we sing a Latin hymn, I prefer to sing sotto voce and sing the English paraphrase that is almost always next to the hymn. But it’s nice that they are sung regularly in my parish, if not at Mass, but at the Benedictions.

We also sing the contemporary hymns (40-50 years old), and I like many of those, too. I know a lot of you despise this hymn, but I really love Gather Us In. It has deep meaning for me because I first heard it after my husband and I were ousted from our Protestant church. The words to this hymn were a reminder that the Lord gathers ALL in, not just certain people. And I happen to love the Celtic-sounding melody that is used with Gather Us In.

One more hymn–Jubilate Amen by Kjerulf. It’s a Norwegian hymn, and I just love it. The men’s choir that I play for sings it (Norwegian Singing Men’s Association). Here’s a link:
youtube.com/watch?v=lJUoQEBV5Ws I guarantee it will uplift you!
 
I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear My light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have born my peoples pain.
I have wept for love of them, They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak My word to them,
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them,
My hand will save
Finest bread I will provide,
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give My life to them,
Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
By: Dan Schutte

This makes me cry every time.
Praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ!
 
Great thread! I love good hymns, Catholic and Protestant, modern and ancient.

Be Thou My Vision
How Great Thou Art
Blest Be the Lord
Beneath Your Cross I stand (Byzantine Hymn)
O Come, O Come Emmanuel (In English or Latin)
Byzantine Troparion of the Resurrection
Give me Jesus
Holy God We Praise Thy Name
In the Garden
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
What a Friend we have in Jesus
Be Careful Little Eyes (Children’s song)
Heavenly King, Comforter (Byzantine Liturgical Hymn)
You Are Near
Gift of Finest Wheat
 
sudy said:
Make me a channel of Your peace. 🙂
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Really?

It reminds me of my 70s childhood in Catholic schools.

Catholic schools were great, the sisters were great, but this song… It isn’t that it was so bad, just that we sang it at every Mass. Until High School, when we replaced with with Blest Be the Lord, which I like very much.

To each his own, I guess. 🙂
 
babochka said:
Really?

It reminds me of my 70s childhood in Catholic schools.

Catholic schools were great, the sisters were great, but this song… It isn’t that it was so bad, just that we sang it at every Mass. Until High School, when we replaced with with Blest Be the Lord, which I like very much.

To each his own, I guess. 🙂
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Yes, really! 🙂 It’s very meaningful to me anyway 🙂 I could tear up just contemplating how beautiful it is… although I never went to Catholic school so it hasn’t worn out for me at all. I would have mentioned How Great Thou Art too but I saw it was already mentioned… I love that one also.

Others I thought about mentioning were from when I was in Protestant school… At the name of Jesus, Immortal invisible, O Jesus I have promised (I see there are a couple of versions of this so it’s called modern version… apparently), Ask ask ask, Bread of heaven… etc. I’ve loved all of those, but the two that jumped into my head were How Great Thou Art and Make Me a Channel of Your Peace for having significant meaning to me right at this moment.
 
sudy said:
Yes, really! 🙂 It’s very meaningful to me anyway 🙂 I could tear up just contemplating how beautiful it is… although I never went to Catholic school so it hasn’t worn out for me at all. I would have mentioned How Great Thou Art too but I saw it was already mentioned… I love that one also.

Others I thought about mentioning were from when I was in Protestant school… At the name of Jesus, Immortal invisible, O Jesus I have promised (I see there are a couple of versions of this so it’s called modern version… apparently), Ask ask ask, Bread of heaven… etc. I’ve loved all of those, but the two that jumped into my head were How Great Thou Art and Make Me a Channel of Your Peace for having significant meaning to me right at this moment.
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It is a beautiful prayer. 🙂 I just can picture 40 second-graders belting it out. At least it wasn’t “Peace is flowing like a river.”
 
babochka said:
At least it wasn’t “Peace is flowing like a river.”
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I don’t know that one… in fact, there are quite a few mentioned that I don’t recognize by title. I’m going to have to do some listening 🙂
 
Miserissima said:
In Paradesium
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This song is so beautiful! The first time I ever heard it was at the funeral of a well-loved priest. All the priests who had attended his funeral surrounded the casket and sang it acapella. It was incredibly moving. I love the English translation as a prayer, but prefer for it to be sung in Latin.
 
I have to mention this one even though I’ve never heard it sang in Church. They sing it in primary schools these days, and even though the lyrics can seem a little bland by comparison to other hymns, it’s so uplifting to listen to 🙂 especially when it’s little children singing it. It’s called Love Shone Down.
 
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