Let us Sing for the Lord

This time of year, people constant ask me two types of questions, knowing that I am a Catholic teenager. The first is whether I have picked a college yet (the answer is still no, Aunt Gina). The second is what I have chosen to give up for this Lenten season.

It can be easy for me to forget what this time of year means to my faith. I get caught up with school events, my social life, and even the constant media surrounding me- for example, it can be hard to convince myself to get off of Netflix and attend adoration on the weekends. Keeping that in mind, I decided that my Lenten offering should consider this temptation from society. Therefore, I decided to give up secular music for Lent.

Lent so far has been difficult in that music is something that cannot be easily ignored. I am, after all, a teenager. I am subjected to constant music from all sides, whether I am in my dance classes or just in the cafeteria. However, allowing myself to listen to music with a good message grants me the opportunity to see how inappropriate some Top 40 music is. Obviously not every song is problematic, but when so many songs are, it becomes difficult to separate one mindless tune from the next.

2 Chronicles 5:13 states, "The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: 'He is good; his love endures forever.'" God created this wonderful gift of music to use in His name. We must use these gifts to praise Him in every way, just as we do with every other talent He has provided. Therefore, these lyrics and songs used in the general society are wrong in many ways. They discard respect for each other, and respect for God.

It has not been an easy journey. I'm seventeen - it's easy for me to get caught up in daily culture. I find myself mindlessly turning the radio to my normal station without a second thought. However, so far, this Lent has been the most impactful in my daily life. It is just as easy for a Lecrae rap to become lodged in my brain as any Nicki Minaj song, but the former has the message that will allow me to proceed further spiritually. So this Lent, I’m taking the time to let my heart and soul recharge with music the way it was meant to be - tunes that praise God.