CANTICLES

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for today, December 22, is, “Canticles.”

This is information type homily – for the mind – more than heart.

It is dry – like getting driving directions from someone about the best way to get from Annapolis to Wilmington, Delaware or Richmond, Virginia.

TODAY’S READINGS GIVE 2 CANTICLES

Today’s 1^st  reading from 1^st Samuel 1: 24-28 introduces us to Hanna the mother of Samuel. Then the Responsorial Psalm from 1 Samuel 2 gives us the Canticle of Hannah. Then today’s gospel Luke 1: 46-56 - gives us the Canticle of Mary – the Magnificat.

Hannah’s Canticle – in First Book of Samuel – seems to have been on the table when 3 New Testament  canticles were composed: the Magnificat, the Benedictus, and the Nunc  Dimittis.

A CANTICLE

A canticle is like a psalm. They are songs that were probably sung at religious services.

When you see them in the Bible they are lined up like a song or a poem – not straight prose.  So that’s what they are – to be sung.

There are roughly 12 canticles in the Jewish Bible – what we call the Old Testament. They are relatively short  - like a song.  And they have been often set to music – like the psalms – which are songs.

Then there is the Canticle of Canticles – the great love poem and song we find in the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. It’s attributed or credited to Solomon - the Son of David – but like the Psalms – they were probably all put together by temple singers and song writers.

The New Testament canticles have a similar history of being part of worship singing – worship songs.

Monks, religious sing the Benedictus, the Magnificat, the Nunc Dimiittis, and psalms each day.

The best known canticle that is non biblical is the Te Deum.

CONCLUSION

That’s a tiny thumb nail sketch of the Canticles.

Read them, listen to them in Song, digest their contents  and you’ll find some rich evidence about God, Mary,  and the Saints. Amen.