Catholic Journal

Singing for the Lord

I love to sing and have been doing so all my life. It began at home, my father being a singer in the Neapolitan tradition. In Miami I began singing with Community chorales and church choirs. Then I performed in theater and on stage, producing a couple of albums in between. Mostly in the Sinatra genre. More about that later.

Well, from the beginning Moses would sing to the Lord because he said the Lord was his strength and salvation. [Exodus 15] Through song, he would praise and exalt him. This seems like a good example and motivation for us. We see that the Psalms asks us to sing as a shout for joy in the Lord.  [Psalm 33:3] This praises him and thanks him. It also shows our steadfast love for him. We are called continuously throughout the Psalms; sing a new song unto the Lord. We are to sing in the morning and at night along with the instruments made for such, harp and lyre. His works are great and yes,  we sing with joy. [ Psalm 89: 1 and Psalm 92: 4] Again, Psalms implores us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord for it is considered serving the Lord with gladness.

Singing can be physically healthy, for it is comforting and restorative to the afflicted. Then why not break forth in singing to the heavens. [Isaiah 49: 13] Isaiah 35: 10 also proclaims that singing in itself brings on gladness and joy making sorrow and sighing disappear. In fact, science has proven that song and singing has healing powers, improves mood, cognition and creativity. Author, Stacy Horn in her book Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others has clearly noted, “Singing is cheaper than therapy, healthier than drinking and more fun than working out.” Music is clearly a nutrient for the nervous system. It is trans-formative, soothes  our nerves and elevates our spirits. Further, self esteem and confidence gets a boost through music. Singing in a group can help overcome stage fright. Finally, it can help prepare the brain for language and speech development, speaking clarity and loosing accents. This is science.

Let’s not leave out the New Testament. 1 Corinthians shows us that when we sing, we pray with our spirit, and it builds up our church. When we vocalize in song, we pray with both our spirit and mind.  We must do so in a mindful, sober and alert manner so as to communicate our spirit to God and each other.  

The Acts of the Apostles describes how the salvation promised to Israel is accomplished by Jesus and under guidance of the Holy Spirit. And singing is part of this salvation. [Acts 16: 25 – 27] While Paul and Silas were in prison, they prayed and sang hymns to God. As other prisoners were listening an earthquake suddenly erupted and all chains and doors came aloose. The prison guard freaked and fell down to Paul and Silas. They told him not to fret and at the same time to believe in Jesus, and as a result he and his family will be saved. And so, Paul and Silas baptized this household that night at the guard’s house all rejoicing at having come to the faith.

Finally, Colossians 3: 15 implores us to let the words of Christ come into our hearts and be thankful. We do this by singing psalms and hymns and other spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts. This will assure calling us into one body in Christ.

Besides the performing arts, this writer  has an academic background and low and behold, he came across an article published in the American Journal of Philosophy:“The Christian Nature of Love as Performed by the Music of Frank Sinatra.” You could say this is the resulting combination of Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra and Song of Solomon. So let me mention this one personal experience. On stage at a rather upscale Catholic Charity event and one of my Sinatra themed shows, I mentioned this to the audience. The pastor of the church was thrilled and enamored by it all, thanking me profusely- obviously a Sinatra fan. So glad I brought it up that night.  

Psalm 150:1-5  “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals !“

See: Baglino, Michael J. You Only Live Thrice. New York: Penguin Writers 2022.

Michael Baglino

MICHAEL J. BAGLINO, Ed. D. is a retired college teacher, most recently an adjunct professor in behavioral science at Palm Beach State College, Florida. He is a graduate of both Winona State University, MN and Florida International University, Miami. Michael is also a retired entertainer [singer/actor], performing primarily as a Frank Sinatra tribute artist under the name ‘Michael Matone’. A parishioner of St. Therese de Lisieux Catholic Church in Wellington, FL, Michael serves as a lector and Knights of Columbus member. He is a professional member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists. The Baglino family, wife, children and grandchildren all live in South Florida.

He is the author of a trilogy of books ‘You Only Live Thrice’, ‘More from a Florida Catholic’, and ‘Europe Meets Florida’. ‘From Gramsci to Freud: 7 Anti Christian Philosophers who Ruined America’ and ‘The Dr. B. Reader’ are his most recent for 2023. Dr. Baglino presents in his books a series of articles and vignettes on religion, psychology, politics and culture. He shows us that God is with us in our daily lives through all our trials, travels and decisions. Insights are garnered from classical education along with our participation in this post-modernist world. Throughout we see splashes of Catholic thought from St. Ignatius of Loyola to St. Thomas Aquinas to a more contemporary and soon to be Saint Fr. Walter Ciszek. Definitely not without humor, Michael presents a down to earth and Catholic perspective to so many of our contemporary issues.