“Dona Nobis Pacem,” ELW 753
Dona nobis pacem, pacem.
Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem.
Dona nobis pacem.
Devotion
My mother taught me to sing while we were doing dishes. She washed while I dried, singing alto to my soprano. It was at the kitchen sink that I learned how to sing in harmony, holding my own musical line within the interchanging voices of the song.
The hymn we sang most often was "Dona Nobis Pacem." As a child, I had no idea what the words meant, though I thought they were beautiful. Only as an adult did I learn that these words originated in the Latin Mass and meant "grant us peace."
Now I am a pastor and more likely to sing "Dona Nobis Pacem" at church than anywhere else. But it does not matter where these words are sung. The words of the hymn are now teaching me the way the melody once did: To live in harmony, holding onto this prayer for peace within the interchanging voices of the world.
Prayer
O Lord, whether we find ourselves in the mightiest of cathedrals or at the humblest of kitchen sinks, teach us to cling to Your peace. Amen.