Faith of Our Fathers
A Call to Strengthen Our Faith
I think one of the most beautiful moments in our lives is when a thing we have become accustomed to and treated with that affectionate old indifference suddenly is transformed before our eyes and becomes, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the very answer to a question that our hearts were searching for. These are, in my opinion, Our Lord’s little whispers that hearken us back to the reality of the pilgrimage we are all are journeying on earth and the permanence of the heavenly goal we are striving for. It will come as little surprise to the readers of this blog that this insight will serve as my less than gracious segway in describing an enlightening moment which I experienced just a few weeks ago.
The occasion occurred on a Sunday morning at the High Mass during the Processional hymn. The hymn for that week was “Faith of Our Fathers”. Now, I have never been moved by this hymn: in fact, I’ll admit that it never has been a source of inspiration or admiration for me; far from it. Yet, this time was different. The reason for this contrast requires a zoomed out look at the state of affairs within our country.
It is no secret that America, and in short, the whole of secular society has not only mocked and outraged the beauty of Our Faith and Its Founder but also seems each day to harness and exemplify, with demonic creativity, new ways of piercing Our Lord’s Sacred Heart. Our minds are blown when, daily, new fantastical and radical ideals challenge the mercy of God. The question “what lies in store for Catholics” and “what will God ask us to suffer for the Church” seem to be frequently asked by the faithful. We are, in essence, confronted by uncertainty, fear, and agitation on every side.
Thus, it was with these thoughts that I began to sing the aforementioned hymn that Sunday morning. Then, as the words came in continuous succession, the poignancy and beauty of the message began to unfold: namely, that our love for the Lord must consume who we are and necessarily result in our willingness to suffer and to die for Him, and most certainly, “to be true to (the Faith) till death.” 1
Let us take a closer look at this hymn. The first verse opens up with the following words gloriously accompanied by the organ. (Link is included below) “Faith of our Fathers! living still In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword: Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy Whene'er we hear that glorious word.”2 Thus, contained herein, is what our reaction should be to hearing what the martyrs and the Fathers of the Faith have suffered for the sake of Christ. Fear, though a real passion of the human body, and therefore nothing to scoff at, should not dominate when glancing at the deaths of these heroes of the Faith. For, “Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear…” (1 Jn 4:18, DRV).3 Instead, our reaction, guided by our love for God, should cause us to sing with the hymn that “our hearts beat high with joy”. 4
The second verse highlights and expounds on this aforementioned “perfect charity”, as it were, by proclaiming “How sweet would be their children's fate, If they, like them, could die for thee!”5 Hence, we find contained in this sentiment, an echo of St. John’s advice that we should “therefore love God, because God first hath loved us,” (1 Jn 4:19). In this way, then, our desire to suffer for Him should stem from an ardent gratitude for all He has suffered for us, a fact that the saints have avidly stood behind.
With robustness, the organist triumphantly ushers in the final verse. One can feel the paradoxical contrast between the reality of the fleeting nature of the suffering incumbent upon our life in this world and the weight of the Lord’s words when He says, “ w Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven,” (Mt 10:32).
“Faith of our Fathers” has the potential to truly strengthen our own faith in what we believe in as well as why we believe in it. For, if one truly listens to the words and meaning of these verses, he cannot help but be impressed by the brilliantly displayed panorama view of our Catholic ancestry which is rich with heroes and saints who have forsaken all to “serve God and {not} mammon,” (Mt 6:24).
Yes, we will have to suffer in order to reach heaven, this is a fact of our mortality! Yet, though this can seem a daunting concession to make, let us take heart in the grace of God which He has promised us in every situation of our life. Let us live for the glory of God all the while remembering that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him,” (1 Cor 2:9).
Check out the artwork at this link!
Giovanni Battista Gaulli, “Triumph of the name of Jesus,” photograph by Marie-Lan Nguyen, 2006, athttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumph_Name_Jesus_Baciccia.jpg
Check out the hymn at this link!
“Lyrics,” in “Faith of Our Fathers (hymn),” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, 2016 at https://en.wikipedia.org.
“Lyrics” in “Faith of Our Fathers (hymn).”
The Holy Bible: Douay Rheims, (Idaho: Lepanto Press).
“Lyrics” in “Faith of Our Fathers (hymn).”
“Lyrics” in “Faith of Our Fathers (hymn).”
Great choice to write about this hymn. I have always loved it. It makes me think of my father, grandfathers, and all my great grandfathers who handed down the faith. I believe that for Catholic children, keeping the faith of our fathers is the first step in keeping the commandment to honor our mothers and fathers. It is said that Catholic children are more likely to keep the faith and attend mass if their father does. I think this song is tapping into that. Thank you for writing about it.