Last night Paulette and I went to see the Notre Dame University Glee Club perform at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church. They were on their spring break tour, and having grown up in the cold of northern Indiana, I understand why they chose to come to Florida. The proceeds from the concert went to a good cause – Brother’s Keeper Soup Kitchen.

They entered by running down the aisle to the front like the Notre Dame Football team taking the field; their enthusiastic singing made me think of team spirit, and they even ended the concert with the Notre Dame Fight Song (in full harmony, though). The Club consisted of forty young men, who seemed very, very young, and as a math nerd I was pleased to find that twenty-six of them majored in math, science or engineering. The music was wonderful and captivating; it was one of those concerts that end all too soon. Since these young men were probably even more talented in their chosen fields, I left the concert feeling very optimistic for our future.

Over half of the program was religious; there were several motets, several Psalm settings, several spirituals, and my favorite, the beautiful “Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl. As I listened my thoughts turned to Martin Luther’s comment about how in choral music the parts dance with each other as though they were square dancing; it was a perfect description of the beautiful harmonies I heard. Several of the Psalms tell us to praise God with music, and I realized that even if I’m not musically talented, I’m still praising Him by engaging in the music of others, such as at this concert. Luther also called music a gift from God. It’s a gift that helps us remember the unconditional love that God has for YOU and me.

Jim