THE STORY OF 'CALM THE SOUL' SONG
There is a poem at the beginning of the book which is also called 'Calm the Soul'. We noticed from the feedback we received from people who read the book that this poem touched them deeply. We began to think about putting the words of the poem to music so that it would be more widely available to people. This was the beginning of turning 'Calm the Soul' into a song. From our casual experimentation with a few melodies and tunes to a fully mixed and mastered professional musical production, 'Calm the Soul' could never have become a reality without the help of Ian Callanan, the producer and arranger of the song. Nor could it have happened without the generous co-operation of the various other artists, (Ronan Browne Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, Emmet Cahill, Siobhán Armstrong, Des Lacey, David Kennedy, Niall Murphy, Shane Mc Vicker and Paul Keegan) who were will willing to get involved and give of their time and talents to help us make it a reality. The melody, based as it is on the musical motifs of a traditional Irish love song (Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó), captures the intensity of longing of the Lover for his Beloved. In the Catholic mystical tradition, made popular by many saints over the centuries, this is the most accurate metaphor to describe God’s intense love for the human soul and so the soul praying in 'Calm the Soul' for healing, wholeness, forgiveness, mercy and peace is matched by the God who desires to raise us up and restore us in love to the royal dignity that is rightfully ours as beings made in the ‘image and likeness of God’. St. Francis and St. Clare were enthralled by the fact of the Incarnation, that God became one of us in Jesus Christ and that in Him we are restored to our original splendour as daughters and sons of God. In 'Calm the Soul' the praying soul knows, in spite of the darkness and blackness that life can bring, that he or she is cherished, known and loved by God. May you be richly blessed as you listen to this song!
Listen and watch on Youtube, Apple, and Spotify!
Here are the words of the song :
Calm the Soul
When my boat, Lord, is storm tossed and sinking;
when fears in my heart take control,
say 'Be not afraid' to my spirit
and Your answer will calm the soul.
When I flounder around in deep waters;
when the stresses of life take their toll,
a sudden deep hush steals upon me.
Your gentleness calms the soul.
When my life seems too full of confusion
and I have lost sight of the goal,
as I stumble about in the darkness
may Your gentle light calm the soul.
I often live life on the surface;
sometimes I'm playing a role.
Help me cherish my own inner beauty.
May Your tender love calm the soul.
When sinfulness tugs like an anchor;
when guilt has me caught in a hole,
I turn to You Lord for forgiveness,
and Your mercy calms the soul.
When I struggle with sickness and sorrow
and eagerly long to be whole,
I call on Your name to bring healing
and the touch of Your hand calms the soul.
Clare and Francis' "success" lies in their complete abandonment of self to the One who never ceases to have incredible confidence in us. They responded with passionate love to the passionate love God has for us humans. They dared to risk everything. They threw themselves with complete abandon into a life of total poverty, knowing it would lead them straight to the cross, to powerlessness and insignificance. Their logic was the Gospel logic of the seed that must die in order to bear fruit.
