Monday, April 7
The lynchpin between our Old and New Testament readings today is the beautiful Ezekiel verse before the Gospel: “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.” Indeed, in this verse, we see both the elders who accused the innocent Susanna of adultery and the Pharisees who attempted to debunk Jesus as the Messiah. In both cases, the testimony of two persons brings about a certain conversion.
As a musician, I frequently reflect on the ultimate purpose of song. Our craft, as musicians, is not simply to make the next best song or to outperform whatever metric we hold ourselves to (be that stream count, tour dates, desire for a better recording, or whatnot). When music is steeped in a life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, it—in itself—becomes a sort of testimony of truth; a means of conversion. In the Gospel today, Jesus quotes the law to the dubious Pharisees in a stark reminder of the opening reading account of Susanna and the elders, “Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified.” Music, and in a sense all art, when properly disposed, can become a testimony of two: God the Creator and us the creatives. When practiced in conjunction with the spiritual life, art is a sort of benediction and prompt for conversion to all who encounter it.
As the anticipation of Holy Week builds, let us again render our lives as creatives to the Lord as we continue to pray, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”
Andrew Goldstein is the Director of Mission Advancement for The Vigil Project and the co-author of Musica Domestica, a two-volume work with David Clayton that brings song back into the daily lives of the domestic Church (to be published by Word on Fire in late 2025). He is a father of five daughters and lives with his wife Eryn and family in South Bend, Indiana.
You can learn more about him here.