Amazing Grace

Sunday marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who, were he still alive would be 83 years old.  His life is being remembered this weekend in ceremony, in prayer and in song.   Dr. King was fond of spiritual music.  As a young boy, he sang in the church choir, and his last words were reportedly to a musician, requesting that the song Take My Hand, Precious Lord, be played at an evening event  which he was planning to attend.   One of the songs sure to be sung over these next few days is Amazing Grace.

Amazing grace is one of the world’s most beloved and well-known songs.  The words were written in 1773 by British cleric John Newton.   The song is believed to be a spiritual autobiography of Newton’s life.   Newton was a rebellious young man who later acknowledged his own wickedness writing, "I sinned with a high hand, and I made it my study to tempt and seduce others."   He was pressed into service by the Royal Navy, working as a midshipman on vessels which included a slave-trading ship.   His behavior was so bad that he was thrown off the ship and left with a slave dealer in West Africa where he was abused and mistreated along with the other slaves.   He was later rescued, but on the voyage back to England, a violent storm nearly sank the ship.  In his fear, he called out for God’s mercy.  Soon after, the ship was able to sail to safety and Newton’s conversion had begun.  Newton later became an Anglican priest, hymn-writer and eventually a prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery.

Because of its themes of conversion and promised deliverance, Amazing Grace is a song of hope.  This is why it accompanied many civil rights marches in the 1960’s.  The song is a reminder to us that God’s grace is greater than our greatest human weakness, that conversion is possible and that the dream of freedom and harmony can become a reality in our day.  Dr. King staked his life on that.  So did Jesus.   Each Eucharistic liturgy calls us to do the same.  Amen!