Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, when the Church celebrates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ. During the 1600s, the Roman Church began using Miserere, a composition of Gregorio Allegri. Miserere was part of that Tenebrae (darkness) service on Maundy Thursday. During the early morning, the service would end with this beautiful, haunting song. Miserere, or Have mercy on me, O God, is set to Psalm 51, a psalm of confession and absolution. I have included the words of that psalm at the bottom of this post for you to read.

The song was considered so holy that the Vatican forbid anyone from copying or reproducing the music outside of the Sistine Chapel during that Tenebrae service. Nonetheless, secrets are hard to keep, and when a 14 year old Mozart visited for that service, he wrote down all that he could remember as soon as he got home. From there, the song spread throughout Europe. It takes quite a choir to perform it correctly, but when done so, it is the most amazing piece of music you will ever hear.

If you aren't able to get to a Maundy Thursday service tonight, or even if you do, you should listen and contemplate on this song. YouTube link to Allegri's Miserere

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgement.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt-offerings and whole burnt-offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

This post was edited on 4/5/12 at 9:38 am