Throughout this Lent, I’ve often thought of and listened to a song
by The Thirsting called “Come Hold My Son.” It’s
a beautiful ballad from Our Mother Mary’s perspective as she was present with
and for Jesus throughout his life, from conception to his death on the cross
beckoning us to come and hold her only son.
Last Saturday, I sat on one of the benches out near the grotto
facing a replica of Michaelangelo’s Pietà and prayed the
Sorrowful Mysteries. I looked up at Mary’s face as she gazed at her
son, and I tried to imagine what it would be like for a mother who has always
loved her child dearly to let other people talk to, criticize, hurt, and abuse
him the way they did.
Throughout Christ’s life, Mary encouraged people to “come hold her
son,” knowing from very early on that some people wanted to do Him harm. She
continues making this same invitation. She beckons us to receive His
Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
Musical God Incidents
Lead singer of the band The Thirsting Daniel
Oberreuter was traveling through Richmond on the way to meet up with his
Catholic band. He did a concert at our
parish this past January. I talked my husband Kevin into coming with
me, and we’re both really glad that we went. The youth advocate at our parish Mike found this out and invited
him to come speak to the middle school and high school youth. Daniel
not only did that, but he also played guitar and sang at all of the weekend
Masses at St. Michael Church.
“The Thirsting is what you’d get if you smashed
together R.E.M., U2, and Green
Day, and made them all Catholic,” Daniel Oberreuter said. Click here to listen to some of their songs.
Their work is all very faith-filled, often
thought-provoking. The versions we heard were mellower than they
would have been if the whole band had been there. Just Daniel and his
guitar made for a more intimate evening of music. Professional
lights, sound gear, and obvious charm added to musical talent kicked things up a
notch.
I really enjoyed the concert! I like good music, meaningful
lyrics, and people who are brave enough to go around the country/world sharing
their talents as well as their Catholic faith.
A Man of Faith and Prayer
Daniel spoke about his wife and two young sons. Most of
what he shared had to do with his personal relationship with Christ and the
Blessed Mother, which was jumpstarted when he was sixteen and began praying the
Rosary daily.
Pretty soon, he found a quiet place to pray while his family was
down watching Seinfeld on TV. It occurred to him that he probably
wasn’t going to grow any closer to God by watching TV, but he could see how his
relationship was already becoming more intimate as he meditated on the
mysteries of the Rosary.
Between songs, he shared stories about his life, faith journey,
and struggles. He emphasized the importance of the Sacraments. One
of my favorite songs that he wrote came to him when he was in front of the
Blessed Sacrament during Adoration. He felt that Mary was inviting
him to come hold Jesus which inspired him to write “Come Hold my Son,” a
beautiful ballad from Our Mother Mary’s perspective as she was present with and
for Jesus throughout his life, from conception to his death on the cross. This
was one of the songs Daniel performed during Mass, so it already felt
familiar.
And the Award for Best Business Card Back EVER Goes to Daniel Oberreuter:
When speaking about the Rosary, Daniel took his out and showed it
to us. He gave a deeply moving reflection on each of The Sorrowful
Mysteries, each time ending with the question: “Is ten Hail Marys really
enough?”
His story about beginning to pray the Rosary daily at 16 reminded
me of when I used to wake up extra early, before everyone else in the house to
pray the Rosary each morning when I was in high school. It was very
fruitful, amazing prayer time. Many of the insights I received into
the mysteries of Christ’s life as well as the grace from those quiet moments of
meditation at the start of the day are still with me.
We purchased two of their CDs which Kevin and I listen to several times a
week. The Thirsting is most
definitely another band on our list of faith-filled favorites.
To get more
info about The Thirsting, check out their website, videos on Youtube, like them on Facebook, and/or download their music, click here.
