Vox Populi, Vox Dei

          As the old saying goes, “The voice of the people is the voice of God.”  If that’s the case, then I’m pretty sure I heard the Vox Dei through the Vox Populi at least two times in the last four days. 

          The first was at Mass on Sunday.  Around national holidays, our choirs, cantors and musicians make an extra effort to include some patriotic or thematically-inspiring hymns at Mass.  Being Labor Day weekend, the 9:00 am Mass choir chose Let There Be Peace On Earth as our recessional hymn.  In my humble opinion, an excellent choice:  it’s a beautiful song that everybody knows and it sure seemed appropriate in light of current events here and around the world.  It seems that the Populi agreed.  After a few bars of introductory notes, the singing began, and boy did it begin.  The congregation joined right in with the choir (which does not always happen), full-throated, confident and downright loud.  Our parishioners didn't just sing along to a familiar tune, they proclaimed in unison the simple but profound message of that hymn with every ounce of conviction in their bodies – and they meant it.  The voice of the people cried out for peace.  It was absolutely beautiful.  It was the voice of God.

          But God doesn't always speak to us in loud, booming tones.  As we hear in the First Book of Kings, God appeared to Elijah in a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), and he often speaks to us in the silence of our hearts.  Now, we tend to associate silence with weakness, disinterest or inaction, and sometimes it is.  The silence of world leaders in the face of the horrifying religious persecution going on in the world today is deafening.  But silence can also be deeply meaningful, profound and prayerful.  That brings me to the second time I heard the Vox Dei through the Vox Populi this week.

          Just this morning I attended Morning Prayer at our parish school.  Before prayer started, our principal asked the students to try something new today.  Instead of grabbing their backpacks and chatting their way to their homerooms after prayer, she asked them to leave in silence, carrying the peace of prayer with them, allowing the Holy Spirit to continue his quiet work within them as they made their way to class.  Again, the Populi agreed.  With just one little reminder at the end of prayer, the children quietly collected their belongings and proceeded to their classes in silence.  The children and their teachers went off to their day’s work in peace.  The voice of the people embraced peace.  It was absolutely beautiful.  It was the voice of God.

Let There Be Peace On Earth, by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller,  performed by the Empire State Youth Orchestra and Chorale