Be still my soul.....

We ended our day listening to the "3 priests" singing at Armagh Cathedral in Ireland.......Fathers Eugene O'Hagan and Martin O'Hagan, who are brothers, and David Delargy have been in the priesthood for some 20 years. But they've been singing together since their early teens.

In addition to beautiful renditions of "Panis Angelicus" and "Ave Maria", they sang the wonderful song, "Be Still My Soul". This was originally the symphonic poem "Finlandia", by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and is one of the most important national songs of Finland. With different words, it is also sung as a Christian hymn, "Be Still My Soul".

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on my side,
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide,
In every change He, faithful, will remain.
Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly Father,
Through stormy ways leads to a joyful end.

The familiar melody was a joy to hear, as I learned it many years ago while singing in a choir, then known as Glee Club. It was the original "Finlandia" and sometimes rousing and sometimes peaceful. We LOVED singing it!!!

O, Finland, behold, your day is dawning,
The threat of night has been banished away,
And the lark of morning in the brightness sings,
As though the very firmament would sing.
The powers of the night are vanquished by the morning light,
Your day is dawning, O land of birth.

O, rise, Finland, raise up high
Your head, wreathed with great memories.
O, rise, Finland, you showed to the world
That you drove away the slavery,
And that you did not bend under oppression,
Your day is dawning, O land of birth.