A Bit of the Holy in the Mundane
I’ve always been interested in finding a sense of the holy in the mundane. Brennan Manning in his book Ragamuffin Gospel talks about a friend that was struck by the holy in his reading of the book Watership Down. I personally have friends that tell stories about having encounters with angels while having tea. I have had similar responses to the American Beauty of the plastic bag circling in the wind. But probably the holiest of holy moments of my life was an 18-20 foot flight off my roof. And what not and the like.
So all that to say, that when I see videos like this one I have a similar sense of the holy in the mundane.
This video was shot in an ordinary train station in Wuppertal, Germany. The group is called, get this, Árstíðirbegan. They are singing the Icelandic hymn “Heyr himna smiður”. The hymn is one of the oldest know Icelandic hymns. The lyrics are translated below:
Hear, smith of the heavens,
what the poet asks.
May softly come unto me
thy mercy.
So I call on thee,
for thou hast created me.
I am thy slave,
thou art my Lord.God, I call on thee
to heal me.
Remember me, mild one,[1]
Most we need thee.
Drive out, O king of suns,
generous and great,
human every sorrow
from the city of the heart.Watch over me, mild one,
Most we need thee,
truly every moment
in the world of men.
send us, son of the virgin,
good causes,
all aid is from thee,
in my heart.
So go find your holy in the mundane today. Because otherwise, why? Otherwise, none of the rest of it makes any sense at all. Just saying.