From a Talk to Incoming Freshmen

Let me start off with a story. Shortly after World War II, two trains pulled up at a station along the French/German border. The hostilities between the two countries had, of course, been intense, with much suffering, pain and death. Out of one train came Frenchmen, and out of the other, Germans. When they recognized each other, both groups stopped–no, they froze–staring at each other, in bitter, stone silence. You could cut the tension with a knife. Suddenly, someone intoned Credo III – and everyone joined in. The tension was relieved, hardened hearts were softened, and why?—because they were reminded that deep down, they were brothers, brothers in Christ. They were not just German or French, they were Catholics.

Now, would the same thing have happened had they merely recited the Creed? Maybe, but I don’t think so. The reason is that we live by symbols—artistic symbols, whether liturgical or non-liturgical, whether high art or popular art. Music, painting, literature, these things sum up who we are, what we believe, and what we think life is all about. This may seem strange that I am saying this at an institution of higher learning, a liberal arts college, where the focus is understandably on rational thought and intelligent discourse about ideas. These “left-brained” things are extremely important and that is why we study ideas and logic, however, it is in the “right-brain” that most people live their lives. The recitation of a creed and the doctrines involved, though extremely important, will generally not move someone to tears. But to sing a creed (or any other prayer), ah, that’s different—and that is why an artistic symbol (music in this case) is extremely important.

As St. Augustine said, it was through sacred music that “truth filtered into my heart and from my heart surged waves of devotion.”