November 12, 2021

A special song based on Psalm 103 draws a woman closer to God

By John Shaughnessy

For most people, certain songs can take them back to a place in time or to thoughts of a special person in their life.

For Mary Jean Wethington, one particular song always draws her closer to God.

“There is a song, one melody alone, one holy hymn that propels me deep into the presence of God,” notes Wethington, a member of All Saints Parish in Dearborn County.

Wethington’s special song is, “Bless the Lord, My Soul.”

“My meditative rendition of this Taizé hymn, based on Psalm 103, not only plays my piano music but prays it,” she says. “God has so blessed me with this graced gift of music. My response to the Lord is to bless him with all my being through our music’s union.

“For me, the sacred depth of this one song both penetrates and soars far beyond just my heart to the sacred realm of soul space and becomes adoration. Here I know God’s intimate presence, and I am one with him in the music’s prayer.”

Here are the lyrics to “Bless the Lord, My Soul”:

“Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name.

“Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.

“It is God who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion.

“The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. God does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults.

“As a father has compassion on his children, The Lord has pity on those who fear him, for God knows of what we are made. God remembers that we are dust.” †

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