Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

Lake Jesper Hasnaoui

I had a request to repost a song I wrote once upon a time. I wrote  The Pirate Song  years ago. I seem to remember my little sister Lynda, when she was five years old, wanted me to write a song, and this is what came out. She's turning twenty-five this month! But the song still remains. Here's an original recording done far too many years ago. It's recorded in one of our bedrooms, with an old guitar, a key that is too high for my poor voice, and a few instruments added later for good measure. Here is  The Pirate Song:

  The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 12: Twelve Drummers Drumming Twelve stands for the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.  This Christmas I really wanted to extend the Christmas season by offering these short little blog posts. Far too often Christmas is all about the buildup, and then it fizzles away. I blame our secular culture for this. It should be the exact opposite. Well tomorrow, in the traditional calendar, is Epiphany. The three wise men come, bearing gifts for Our Saviour. What song shall I choose?  No, I did not choose We Three Kings, nor  Little Drummer Boy. I chose the Twelve Days of Christmas, of course. A confession: I never really liked the song Twelve Days of Christmas . It's so repetitive... though I suppose that's how one actually teaches the points of...

  The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 11: Eleven Pipers Piping Eleven is not your standard biblical number. On this day we recall the eleven faithful apostles of Our Lord. You know them too, right? I use the acronym BAPTISM (note: J is interchangeable with I). Figure it out from there. I asked my wife for a song recommendation. I noted that this day, for me, is the most depressing day of the year. It's back to work. It's dark. It's cold... how quickly the Christmas story is forgotten! Well, she said, "Oh, anything by Michael Buble!" As I gagged she then added, "Or by Manheim Steamroller."  Sorry, this day is already too depressing. How shall we remember the story of a baby who came to save us?  The First Noel by the Crash Test Dummies. Unfortunately, their old music video is no l...

  The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 10: Ten Lords a-Leaping The ten commandments are the theme of the day. You know them, right? Frontwards and backwards in under one minute? Such is the challenge my mom places on all her grandkids.  Today is a sad day. For Monday signals going back to work. That first day back is the most depressing day of the year. It always has been, and probably always will be. It is cold, dark, and one filled with a memory of a Christmas past, and little to look forward to for a month or two. The Sunday before can lead to too much thinking. But Christmas is not over. And the reason for Christmas continues to this day. With that in mind, I always turn to a stunningly beautiful song. Andrew T. Miller's One Blessed Night . It makes my heart soar. Enjoy!

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 9: Nine Ladies Dancing The nine fruits of the Holy Ghost are for us to consider: Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Let's see, we have entered a new year, and we're still hanging on to Christmas. Sounds like a good time for a combo-song. Bing Crosby and David Bowie: The Little Drummer Boy (Peace on Earth).  This song is bizarre. The story behind it is awkward, to say the least. We have a punk singing with Bing Crosby. Both of them are uncomfortable. And yet... somehow, someway, it works.  As you know, Bing died a month later of a heart attack. Bowie died recently. And we're still searching for that Peace on Earth. 

  The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 8: Eight Maids a-Milking The eight beatitudes are the message of the day. Today traditionally honours the circumcision of Christ. On the eighth day He was circumcised, as was the Jewish custom. It is the day He first shed His blood.  He shed His blood to save the world. I present Good Christian Men Rejoice , as sung by the Dominican Friars. The chorus goes, "Christ was born to save. Christ was born to save." As a bonus, my favourite song on the album, Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming :

  The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 7: Seven Swans a-Swimming The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are represented today. WUCK, PFF is how we used to remember. Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord.  I had YouTube play me some Christmas tunes the other day. YouTube is a nefarious and demonic entity. It put on O Holy Night by Mariah Carey. "The song will forever be ruined!" I cried.  I prayed for the gift of fortitude. The Spirit sent Mr. Dreamy to the rescue. Here is Josh Groban singing O Holy Night . 

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 6: Six Geese a-Laying The six days in which God created the world are represented today. The theme is creating Christmas memories. More than any other time, Christmas is a time for feelings. Not exactly my greatest strength. But it is clear that, given the lockdowns and such, this year people were turning to Christmas to spark some emotional happiness. Lights were put up in earnest. People went over the top with baking and decorating. Christmas is a time to save. But not in that way. It is of a baby who came to save.  Nevertheless, as long as Christ is the focus, a few warm and fuzzy feelings along the way aren't dangerous. With that, I present a blast from the past. Roger Whitaker! My oh my, memories indeed. Here is Momma Mary:

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 5: Five Golden Rings Five refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah. Marcion said Christians need not bother with the Old Testament. Marcion was a heretic. Christ is prefigured in the Old Testament, and he fulfills it in the New. I've chosen two catchy Christmas songs today. The first being  Do They Know its Christmas  by the conglomeration known as Band Aid. The second being Last Christmas by Wham's George Michael (who finds himself in both songs). B oth songs came out in 1984. A year which was prefigured by writer George Orwell way back in 1949. The world was heading for evil, according to Orwell.  Song 1: First thoughts? That's a lot of makeup. Second thoughts? Bono is short. Anything else? Ok, I'll state the obvious. They're sort ...

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 4: Four Calling Birds The four Gospels are represented today. Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. In Matthew's Gospel we read of Herod having all the male children of his region, two and under, slaughtered. They are the first martyrs to die for Christ. The song is Lully, Lulla, Lullay . This version is by Philip Stopford, and is based on The Coventry Carol . It is sung for the Holy Innocents - thou little tiny child. Ignore the over-the-top videography of this clip, and simply enjoy the haunting beauty.

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 3: Three French Hens Faith, hope, and charity are the great theological virtues taught by day three.  The song I've chosen is I Saw Three Ships. There are a plethora of interpretations for this hymn. One is that it sings of the three wise men being brought to the Cologne cathedral to be laid to rest (on Christmas day). Regardless, I love the bells in this version!

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it  here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 2: Two Turtle Doves What are the two turtle doves? They represent the Old and New Testament. Today I present something new. It is called Chesterton Carol , and was created by Mark Nowakowski (he writes occasionally at OnePeterFive). 

The 12 Days of Christmas: A hidden catechesis for Catholics while they endured persecution in England (1558-1829). You can read more about it here . This year I will be posting a Christmas song for each day. Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree  A partridge willingly gives up its life for to protect its young. Jesus is the partridge.  Today being Christmas Day, I begin with my favourite: Angels We Have Heard on High as sung by Andrea Bocelli.

951 Songs/Psalms/Commentaries $17.09 USD Oregon Catholic Press Every now and then a book comes along which is rich in wisdom and beauty, and profoundly enlightening to all who encounter it. The latest Breaking Bread 2021 hymnal is not one of those books. Tiresome, inane, fluffy, fruity, and worthless are all words that come to mind when I consider the latest liturgical offering from our bishops. 2020 was a rough year. 2021 is already off to a mortifyingly awful start.  Enough with the suspense. Let's dive into it. Behold a few examples of what to expect at a church near you in 2021: At first I misread this title and thought it was Guns & Roses with Knocking on Heaven's Door. And then I thought of Paul McCartney singing "Someone's knocking at the door...." Sadly, it is neither. I love the juxtaposition though. "Somebody's knock-in' at your door," versus the Stabat Mater . I can just see the choir director, "Hmm... shall we meditate on t...

One Blessed Night - Andre T. Miller I first stumbled upon this watching Raymond Arroyo’s The World Over Christmas special two years ago. Since then, this song’s been a blessed addition to any night of the Christmas season. Angels We have Heard on High – Andrea Bocelli The best voice in the world singing possibly the best Christmas song. Add in a splendid choir and orchestra and you have a song for the ages. I Saw Three Ships – Mormon Tabernacle Choir Oh those Mormons, showing us up again. And to think, they also get their own planet when they die! Bonus… A MUST Christmas Album comes from the Dominican Friars: Christ was Born to Save Here is: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming . Get your tissues ready. (To see what they look like, click HERE ).

A must see every Remembrance Day. Here is the Canadian band The Trews with "Highway of Heroes."

On the lighter side, I present to you... my top five favourite children's songs. I am not talking about old time classics like Twinkle Twinkle , but the type of children's music that you would haul out the old record player to listen to. Think Raffi, Fred Penner, and the like. You will notice that there is no Duck Song , or Baby Shark . I'm talking real music. Here we go: 5) Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul, and Mary *Sniff* Those lyrics. I'm not crying. You're crying. "But, but... it's about DRUUUUGS!!" you say? No, it's not. Get your mind out of the gutter and stop thinking about drugs. Druggie. 4 ) Hey Dum Diddley Dum - Performed by Sharon, Lois, and Bram Fun. Catchy. And to be honest, I needed to have Sharon, Lois, and Bram on the list at least once.  3 ) The Cat Came Back - Fred Penner I could put Fred Penner songs for all five if need be. Sandwiches. Collections . So many others. But, The Cat Came Back is simpl...

I often pose Guess the Band pictures for my grade 5 students. It's both fun and depressing. It is fun to see them try to figure out the band. It is depressing to note they know nothing of music. "Rolling Stones? Eric Clapton? John Denver?..." Let's make the game more Catholic. I present to you: Guess the Church Musician. Figure out the writer of sacred, and not so sacred (hint), music that you might hear at Mass. 1) 2)                3) 4) "I'll be..." 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Bonus: Answers: 1) Palestrina (polyphony) 2) Franz Gruber (Silent Night) 3) Dan Schutte (City of God)... Actor's name is "Daniel" who threatens to "shoot" in Sound of Music. 4) Johann Sebastien Bach (Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring) 5) Bob Dufford (Be Not Afraaaaaid) 6) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Requiem) 7) Georg Friedrich Handel (Messi...