Music Notes: 7th Sunday of Easter, Dr. John Michniewicz

This Sunday, May 17th, 2026, is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. It is the final Sunday of the Easter season before Pentecost Sunday is celebrated next week. The Seventh Sunday of Easter falls after the Ascension of the Lord, celebrated last Thursday, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The readings reflect this time, a moment of waiting, prayer, and profound trust in God.

The First Reading (Acts 1:12-14) takes place in Jerusalem, where the Apostles and the other disciples, together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, have returned to the upper room following the Ascension. There, they devote themselves to continuous prayer as a community bound together in faith and expectation, waiting for the promised Spirit.

The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 27) gives voice to that same confidence and trust. The first verse states: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” It is a psalm of faith in God’s protective care, culminating in the great declaration: “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

The Second Reading (1 Peter 4:13-16) encourages those who suffer for their faith to rejoice rather than be ashamed, for suffering as a Christian is to share in the glory of Christ’s name. The Gospel (John 17:1-11) gives the opening of Jesus’ great priestly prayer, spoken on the night before his death. Jesus prays first for his own glorification: “Father, glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you.” He then turns to pray for his disciples, asking the Father to protect and keep them: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” The themes of glory, protection, and unity are shown throughout Jesus’ prayer.

Sunday’s Entrance Hymn is Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Worship Hymnal, No. 616). This hymn has been called one of the great hymns of the Western Christian tradition, a paraphrase of Psalms 103 and 150 written by the German pastor Joachim Neander (1650-1680). Neander found profound inspiration in nature and scripture, and wrote this text shortly before his death at the age of thirty. It was first published posthumously in 1680. It is thought that Neander often visited the nearby Neander valley. The joyful tune is likely based on a German folk melody, which he adapted for this text. The melody and triple meter work together to form a

memorable declaration on God’s love and care. The hymn’s opening cry of praise — “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!” — directly echoes Jesus’ prayer for glorification in John 17. The second verse also highlights God’s protection: “Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth, shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth.” This imagery of God’s sheltering, protective wings speaks directly to Jesus’ prayer: “Holy Father, keep them in your name.” The hymn echoes the themes of praise of God, glorification, and God’s protection.

1. Praise to the Lord,

the Almighty, the King of creation!

O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation! All you who hear, now to his temple draw near.

Praise him in glad adoration!

1. Praise to the Lord,

who o’er all things is wondrously reigning

And, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining. Have you not seen all you have needed has been Met by his gracious ordaining?

1. Praise to the Lord,

who will prosper your work and defend you;

Surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

Who with his love does befriend you.

1. Praise to the Lord!

O let all that is in me adore him!

All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him! Let the “Amen” sound from his people again!

Gladly with praise we adore him!

Here is an inspiring and enthusiastic rendition of Praise to the Lord by the Purdue University Men’s Glee Club and orchestra at the Crystal Cathedral (now Christ Cathedral) in 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEcOWXD76No

The hymn during the Presentation of Gifts is God, We Praise You! (Worship Hymnal No. 599). This hymn is a paraphrase of the ancient hymn Te Deum Laudamus, literally, We Praise You, O God, as written by Christopher Idle. The Te Deum is considered one of the oldest and most venerated hymns of the Christian church, dating to the fourth century and attributed to Saints Ambrose and Augustine, though its precise origins remain unclear. For centuries it has been sung at moments of great thanksgiving and praise. The hymn uses the early American hymn tune NETTLETON, which made its debut in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music in 1813, likely by an anonymous author. For this Sunday, God We Praise You nicely reflects the themes of the liturgy. The text acclaims Christ’s glory — “Christ, at God’s right hand victorious” — which connects it to John 17’s glorification theme, while also evoking the gathered community of the faithful, united in praise, and reflects the disciples, assembled in prayer, in Acts 1.

1. God, we praise you! God, we bless you! God, we name you sovereign Lord! Mighty King whom angels worship, Father, by your church adored:

all creation shows your glory,

heaven and earth draw near your throne singing ‘Holy, holy, holy,

Lord of hosts, and God alone!’

1. True apostles, faithful prophets, saints who set their world ablaze, martyrs, once unknown, unheeded, join one growing song of praise, while your church on earth confesses one majestic Trinity:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God, our hope eternally.

1. Jesus Christ, the King of glory, everlasting Son of God,

humble was your virgin mother, hard the lonely path you trod: by your cross is sin defeated,

hell confronted face to face, heaven opened to believers, sinners justified by grace.

1. Christ, at God’s right hand victorious, you will judge the world you made;

Lord, in mercy help your servants for whose freedom you have paid:

raise us up from dust to glory, guard us from all sin today;

King enthroned above all praises, save your people, God, we pray.

Here is a rendition of God We Praise You as sung during a Mass at the beautiful St. Michael the Archangel Parish/St. Bernard Church in Pittsburg, PA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aw7xnZ9CS8

At the 11:30 AM Mass, the choir will sing the anthem With a Voice of Singing, by Martin Shaw (1875-1958). Martin Shaw was one of the most distinguished English church musicians of the early twentieth century, a leading figure in the movement to restore congregational singing and musical excellence to the church. He collaborated extensively with the poet and hymnologist Percy Dearmer and the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams on the landmark English Hymnal of 1906.

With a Voice of Singing is a jubilant proclamation of Easter joy and God’s saving power, clearly reflecting the readings from this final Sunday of the Easter season. The organ accompaniment starts with a brief fanfare-like motif, followed by the choir’s declarative statements of praise. Repeated Alleluias reflect the Easter season, and joyfully frame the line “The Lord hath delivered his people.” The phrase “make his praise to be glorious” echoes Jesus’ prayer for glorification in the Gospel reading. The final section of the anthem begins with extended fanfare-like motifs again, before concluding with joyful Alleluias.

Here is a spirited rendition of With a Voice of Singing as sung by the Choir of the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neQBRjAJRug

Sunday’s Communion hymn, There Is One Lord (Worship Hymnal No. 921), is a beautiful, meditative hymn composed by Jacques Berthier (1923-1994), the French composer and organist who served as the primary musical voice of the Taizé community of Burgundy, France. Founded by Brother Roger Schutz in 1940 as an ecumenical monastic community devoted to reconciliation and prayer, Taizé has profoundly influenced the music of the worldwide church through its simple, contemplative style of repetitive song. Berthier composed There Is One Lord in 1984, drawing his text from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” This hymn shows a direct connection to this Sunday’s Gospel. In John 17:11, Jesus prays to the Father: “that they may be one, as we are one.”

Here is a recording of: There Is One Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVEyrHiSm6Y

At the 11:30 Mass, the choir will sing Most Glorious Lord of Life, by Bob Chilcott (b. 1955). Distinguished British composer Bob Chilcott is a former member of the renowned King’s Singers. Chilcott has become one of the most widely performed choral composers of his generation, celebrated for his gift for lyrical melody, rich harmonic language, and sensitive text setting.

Most Glorious Lord of Life sets the Easter sonnet of the Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599), written for Easter Sunday 1595 and included in his collection Amoretti. The text opens with a direct acclamation of Christ’s resurrection glory: “Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day didst make thy triumph over death and sin,” before moving to a meditation on love as the reflection of divine glory, concluding with the prayer that love may bind us together in unity. The opening acclamation of Christ’s glory directly mirrors Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1: “Father, glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you.” The word glorious itself echoes the idea of glorification that is woven throughout the Gospel. And the text’s closing meditation on love and unity speaks directly to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:11: “that they may be one, as we are one.” This anthem nicely reflects the entire arc of the Gospel reading: glory, protection, and unity.

Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day, Didst make thy triumph over death and sin: And having harrow’d hell, didst bring away Captivity thence captive, us to win:

This joyous day, dear Lord, with joy begin,

And grant that we for whom thou diddest die, Being with thy dear blood clean wash’d from sin, May live for ever in felicity.

And that thy love we weighing worthily, May likewise love thee for the same again:

And for thy sake, that all like dear didst buy, With love may one another entertain.

So let us love, dear love, like as we ought, Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught.

Here is a recording of Most Glorious Lord of Life: https://viewer.jwpepper.com/smc2/?preview=true&product=10303968

Sunday’s Final Hymn is Immaculate Mary (Worship Hymnal No. 893). This beloved Marian hymn serves as a fitting final hymn for a Sunday in May, the month traditionally dedicated to Mary in the Catholic Church. The text, of nineteenth century French origin, hails Mary as Queen and invokes her intercession. Mary is specifically named in the First Reading (Acts 1:14) as one of those gathered with the Apostles in the upper room, united in prayer as they awaited the coming of the Spirit. The text, combined with the hymn tune LOURDES HYMN, makes this one of the most universally known and loved Catholic hymns.

Here is a festive version of Immaculate Mary as sung at the Basilica Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BG_F73zKFNU

Sources:

Neander, Joachim. “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” 1680. Trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863.

Shaw, Martin. With a Voice of Singing. Novello & Co., London. Chilcott, Bob. Most Glorious Lord of Life. Oxford University Press. Spenser, Edmund. Amoretti, Sonnet 68. 1595.

Taizé Community. There Is One Lord. GIA Publications.

Lectionary for Mass, Second Typical Edition. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2001.

USCCB Daily Readings: Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051726-Sunday.cfm Catholic Readings, Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A: https://catholicreadings.org/seventh-sunday-of-easter-year-a/ LiturgyTools: Hymns for the 7th Sunday of Easter, Year A:

https://www.liturgytools.net/2014/05/mass-hymns-7th-sunday-easter-year-a-lec tionary.html

GIA Publications, Worship Fourth Edition: https://giamusic.com/hymnals-worship-4

Taizé Community official website: https://www.taize.fr/en

Bob Chilcott composer page: https://www.boosey.com/composer/Bob+Chilcott Oxford Music Online (Grove Music): https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com Poetry Foundation, Edmund Spenser: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edmund-spenser

Hymnary.org, LOBE DEN HERREN tune: https://hymnary.org/tune/lobe_den_herren_neander

Hymnary.org, NETTLETON tune: https://hymnary.org/tune/nettleton Licensing: Onelicense.net