the story behind the song: "My Spirit Lives"

The song, “My Spirit Lives” began as a meditation on our lifelong relationship with Jesus. The verses are in the style of a “call and response.” Throughout our lives we call out to God who hears and responds, calming our fears and strengthening our resolve to remain faithful to living out the promises of our baptism. Perhaps because of the lifelong process that is discipleship, I always envisioned a combined choir of our parish’s children and adult singers singing these phrases of Christ: “I am here,” “I won’t let go,” “come to me,” and “my spirit lives and breathes within you.” Each of the phrases in the verses (some of them lifted from the scriptures or familiar lines from Catholic prayers like the “Hail Mary”) are meant to suggest situations in our common life as disciples of Jesus and his compassionate and reassuring response to all that we experience as we strive to follow him.

Some of you who know me also know that music is my avocation. In my profession I serve as a chaplain for one of the hospices in Atlanta. I spend my days listening to patients or their family members describe what they’re going through and what their life and approaching death (or that of their loved one) means to them. I struggle sometimes to squeeze all of these stories into the rooms of my heart. I bring all of it to prayer seeking to comprehend the enormity of the pain of loss and the depth of feeling that emerges as life ebbs within and around me. I believe that my faith in a God who is loving creator, who is Jesus- obedient son and selfless savior, and who is indwelling Spirit is what finally restores order to the chaos that can accompany death and dying.

Then, the refrain is an attempt to merge into one the ”I AM” statements of Jesus from the Gospel of John which we hear every year during the seven Sundays of the Easter Season. My hope is that those who listen to or sing this song with us will be drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ: the sacrament of God now clearly revealed as the great “I AM.” Known by many names, he is the narrow gate, the loving shepherd whose keen eye finds beloved sheep who are forever getting lost. He is the bread of life, the light of the world, the way and the truth and the life.

My Spirit Lives

Happy Easter!  The Triduum liturgy at IHM was really wonderful this year.  I was a little worried that the extra practices that we put in for the Lenten concert might end up detracting from the choir's preparation for the Triduum, but I should never have doubted our choir or our fearless leader, Jeff Bush.  The liturgies were beautiful and the music, in my humble opinion, was prayerful and inspiring.


Now that we are into the Easter season, we're going to change gears a bit here on the website and feature a few of our songs that are more centered on the resurrection and on our mission as followers of Christ in light of that good news.  Today, we've uploaded our original song, My Spirit Lives.  (Click the blue Streampad bar at the bottom of your browser window to open the music player.)  I'll let Michael give this song its proper introduction, but I would like to highlight that this song features our choir director, Jeff Bush, as the soloist and that this arrangement was written by Mark Scozzafave (he's also handling the piano duties on this recording and his original composition, A Wondrous Love, is featured in our playlist as well).  We hope you enjoy the piece, and we hope you are having a blessed Easter season.  Lyrics after the jump.

By His Wounds

For Good Friday, we’re uploading our original song, By His Wounds.  As you can hear by clicking the blue Streampad player at the bottom of the page, this song’s exhortation to willingly take up one’s cross and follow Christ is, I think, a fitting theme for Good Friday.  That being said, this piece has always had, for me, an equally prevalent resurrection theme.  In that sense, By His Wounds is a great piece to help us transition from our Lenten songs into our more Easter-themed music.

At our Lenten concert, I introduced this song by way of dedicating it to the memory of my grandfather, Ray Vrazel, Sr.  I’d like to explain the story behind this song in a little bit more detail than I was able to go into that night.  If you’re curious please read on.  I also have the lyrics included after the jump.

A Wondrous Love

The song I’ve uploaded today, A Wondrous Love, was also recorded at the IHM Lenten concert.  In a bit of a twist though, this piece for solo piano was not written by either Michael Mullink or Michael Vrazel.  Instead, this composition was written and performed by Mark Scozzafave.  Mark and his wife, Aimee, have temporarily relocated to Atlanta from Chicago for one year and sadly (at least for the IHM community) that year is almost up.  Both Mark and Aimee are immensely talented musicians, and we will miss them dearly.  I cannot imagine the concert having been as successful as it was without the collaboration and participation of the Scozzafaves.  Mark not only contributed this original composition but also played piano on numerous pieces (a couple of which we’ve already uploaded).  And on top of that, he also wrote a fantastic arrangement for My Spirit Lives, a Mullink and Vrazel original that we’ll be uploading in the Easter season.  Aimee sang with the schola on numerous pieces and was the featured soloist on My Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts, another of our songs that we’ll upload after Lent.

Since it is inspired by two beloved Lenten hymns, What Wondrous Love and Were You There, A Wondrous Love really fits in well with the other Holy Week music we’ve been uploading so Michael and I asked Mark if he wouldn’t mind us including this recording on our site’s playlist.  He graciously agreed so now you can hear this very moving piece by clicking on the Streampad player at the bottom of the screen.  Thank you, Mark!

the story behind the song: "Prayer in Gethsemane"

I’d like to offer some background behind the lyrics for “Prayer in Gethsemane.” I guess it’s been nearly 25 years ago that I read a couple of books by Ann Johnson, Miryam of Nazareth and Miryam of Judah in which she uses her vast knowledge of Jewish life and customs as well as evidence from the New Testament to offer a glimpse into the prayer life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. I remember being very taken by the author’s fictional details that were, I believe, intended to bring us inside the mind and heart of one of the closest people to our Lord during the most important days of her life: her son’s birth and his death. It captured my imagination to think about all there is that we don’t know about the prayer life of Jesus. Did Mary who “treasured these things and stored them in her heart” keep the gifts of the Magi and at what point might she have brought them forth to share with her son? And then, how did Jesus come to know who he was and how did he pray to his Father in all of those days, months, and years until he would fully comprehend what his mission would cost him. And was it a gradual process that led him to surrender to the will of his Father?

Then, I remember praying with psalm 22, which starts with those familiar words that our Savior referenced while hanging on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me.” Back in the early 1980’s while still in college, I attended a retreat with a Jesuit scripture columnist, Fr. Francis Cleary, SJ. I recall him suggesting a different, nuanced meaning for what Jesus might have been trying to tell his mother and those standing near the cross: “remember psalm 22.” What if his calling out those ancient words that he would have memorized as a boy was less about questioning God’s presence and more about trying to remind us of the end of that psalm. Because at verse 30 come the words, “to (the Lord) alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth; Before him shall bend all who go down into the dust. And to him my soul shall live.” NAB

As his life passes before his eyes and he is living out in the most literal way possible, the images of this psalm, his final prayer is a belief in God’s power that will conquer death and bring him to life once more.

So, I invite you to consider that on the last night of his life, there in that lonely garden of Gethsemane, while his friends have all dropped off to sleep, their bellies full of the Passover lamb, Jesus may have knelt there praying Psalm 22. He long ago realized that he WAS the Passover lamb for that year and all years to come. As his “blood cried out” to his Father and he struggled to conquer the weakness of his human flesh, the invincibly strong spirit of Jesus placed his trust in his Father’s “greatest love” that would raise him to life.

Prayer In Gethsemane

Today being Passion Sunday, I have uploaded Prayer In Gethsemane.  Written as a meditation on Christ’s agony in the garden, it has also served us well at IHM as a congregational piece during Holy Week with the choir and congregation joining in on the refrains.

A few years ago, I was preparing for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at IHM, listening to Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone being played as a prelude, when I caught a glimpse of the sunset behind the far side of Briarcliff Rd.  I started thinking about the sun going down over the garden of Gethsemane on the night of the last supper so many years ago.  It was, and still is, a very affecting image to me – a quiet sunset in a peaceful garden, soon to give way to so much suffering and pain.

Not long after, I mentioned this image to Michael and suggested we work on a meditation on Christ’s suffering in the garden.  I’ll leave it to him to describe the inspiration behind the lyrics to this song, but suffice it to say, I think they are some of the most stirring lyrics he has written. We’ve begun using this song at Mass during Holy Week, and it has been very well received. I hope you enjoy it as well.

This recording also comes from the IHM Lenten concert.  Michael is playing the piano while I sing.  The violin and cello parts that begin on Verse 3 were new additions this year, and that’s Justin Kandler and Kat Shealy doing the honors, respectively.

I hope everyone has a blessed Holy Week and thanks for stopping by. Lyrics after the jump.

Holy Week approaches

I'll be doing a few behind-the-scenes improvements to the website for the next couple of days.  You may see a few minor tweaks here and there, but posting may be a little lite in the meantime.  Michael and I will be uploading a few more songs as we enter Holy Week and the Triduum, so please be sure to check back.  IHM parishioners will probably recognize these songs as they have become a regular part of our Holy Week prayers and liturgies.

Much Love For The Choir

We've posted a few songs from IHM's Lenten concert, and we would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to acknowledge all the wonderful singers and musicians who came together to make that night possible.  The IHM choir, the schola singers, the ensemble musicians, and the solo instrumentalists all did such a wonderful job on relatively short notice, and it was their time and talents that really made that night the beautiful evening of prayer for our parish that it was.  It's an impressive list of talented people that participated, as you can see below.  A word of special thanks goes to Bob Gillespie and Jeff Brugger for making these recordings so that we have them to share with you now.


Finally, we'd very much like to thank Jeff Bush, IHM's Director of Liturgy (and choir director), for his help that night and for his continued support of this aspect of our music ministry.  It's probably not too presumptuous to say that he is our toughest critic and our biggest fan, and we are very grateful for both of those aspects of his encouragement.


And now without further ado, the musicians, singers, and technicians who helped make the IHM Lenten concert possible.  Thank you again!


Sopranos 

Tricia Audrain*†

Cheryl Banez-Ocfemia 

Joan Cioffi 

Margaret Davis

Clare Dykewicz 

Denise Garcia-Sosa

Jane Gillespie*

Susan Herdmann        

Colleen Michuda                        

Aimee Scozzafave*†

Kathleen Tate

Camila Zimmerman

Altos

Julie Hiland*

Leann Logsdon*

Barbara Meadows

Paula Stephens

Jen Stevens*

Nimalie Stone†

Corina Zimmerman

Tenors

Leo Andres 

Kim Caggiano

Bob Gillespie*

Basses

Luis Alvarez

Rex Astles

Wm Jefferson Bush†

Patrick Donohue
Graham McMurray

Javier Tavel

* Schola            

†Soloists

The Instrumentalists

 Guitar: Bob Gillespie, Tommy Humphries, Michael Vrazel

Electric Bass: Patrick Belden

Piano: Michael Mullink, Mark Scozzafave

Flute:   Rebecca Wilson

Oboe: Laura Ricca Brazil

Violin: Dorothy Cornwell, Marie Gage, Justin Kandler

‘Cello: Katherine Shealy

Organ: Wm Jefferson Bush 

Sound Technicians: Michael Schulman,  Jeff Brugger

To let the choir really show off their chops, we've also uploaded another song from the concert, Jeremiah 29.  This one again features Mark Scozzafave on piano and an arrangement by Michael Mullink.  Lyrics after the jump.

the story behind the song: "You Didn't Know It Was Me"

I wanted to write and offer some background behind the first song that Michael and I wrote together, “You Didn’t Know It Was Me”.

A few years back, our family went through one of life’s most difficult experiences with my younger brother, Greg. His marriage ended very abruptly, leaving him understandably grieved and wondering where God was for him in all of it. All of us were at a profound loss as to what to say to console him. One day, in particular, I remember hanging up from a conversation with him in which I felt like I had failed to offer anything hopeful or helpful, and I sat down and wrote the words that would become this song.

Hopefully listeners can recognize some of the imagery on which “You Didn’t Know It Was Me” is based.The Old Testament prophet Hosea gives voice to God’s sadness at the distance our sinfulness has placed between us, likening our relationship to him as that of an unfaithful spouse to a lovingly faithful husband. But we also find in the 11^th chapter some of the most tender images in all of Sacred Scripture. Here God’s deep and abiding love is revealed: a God, who like a parent to Israel, has loved us and raised us, though we “did not know that (God) was (our) healer.” I once heard it explained that Jesus may have found inspiration in this very scripture passage as he seems to have used it as the basis for his parable of the Prodigal Son.

So initially, this song was about something different than what it grew into as it took form and shape. While it started to be about my brother and his broken relationship, it came to be much more about me and my brokenness and need for God. The phrase, “and ‘why me’ was your only refrain,” came out of the way I felt when my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2002. In my shock and pain, I somehow forgot everything I have known or believed about God’s faithful love and went to a dark place that suggested that my dad's suffering was some kind of a punishment for my sins. Upon more reflection and soul-searching prayer, I’ve come to believe even more strongly in the God who has carved my name into his very flesh (Isaiah 49:16), drawing me into an embrace of intimate friendship with bands of love.

In truth, that’s why Michael Vrazel is singing this piece on this recording instead of me. It still touches something deep in me that I can’t quite put my finger on and it prohibits me from getting through it without being overtaken by waves of emotion. I wonder where it finds our listeners and if you can hear a bit of yourself in this piece? If that's the case, I'd love to hear from you.

Your Kingdom Come

I think we’ve probably all had enough of my singing for now so today we’ll feature a song from the concert that was sung by Michael Mullink. While Michael handled the solo vocal duties, Mark Scozzafave sat in on piano and really did a tremendous job (throughout the concert really, but that’s a subject for another post). This song also very nicely features our solo instrumentalists from that evening, playing an arrangement that Michael put together.


At the concert, we introduced this song by dedicating it to my lovely wife, Lena. My participation in the IHM music ministry, much less this songwriting endeavor, would not be possible without her support over the past several years. To me, her selfless giving and the way she keeps our household running while I’m off making music is a great example of someone storing up treasures in the kingdom to come. Lyrics after the jump.

You Didn't Know It Was Me

Today, I have uploaded the first song that Michael and I wrote together.  Again, this was recorded at IHM's Lenten concert last month.

You Didn't Know It Was Me

Verse 1
You know My story, you learned My name.
You chose to turn and follow Me.
Time teaches lessons, heals some of the wounds,
But only in Me will you become free. 

Refrain
I formed you in your mother's womb.
I taught you to walk though you never saw My face.
I picked you up when you fell down,
Carried you back as you lost your way,
But you didn't know it was Me.
You didn't know it was Me.

Verse 2
You sang out My name when all was well.
You said here I am and picked up the cross.
But sin entered in; suff'ring emerged,
And why me was your only refrain.

Verse 3
Now life brings change; confusion may reign.
Simple beliefs seem hard to retain.
But weather the storm, carry on through the pain.
In a still, small voice, I'm calling your name.

Bridge
With bonds of love I drew you to Me.
I carved your name into My hands.
Your name is written in My very flesh.
How I long for you to come home to Me.

Lyrics to "For The Least Of These"

We realized that we uploaded For The Least Of These without posting the lyrics to the song. In the future, we'll try to be a little more coordinated, but for now here are the lyrics to last night's song.

For The Least Of These

Verse 1
When I was hungry, you broke the bread,
And gave of yourself that all might be fed.
When I sought water, you quenched My thirst,
And poured out yourself, putting the lowly first.

Refrain
Whatsoever you do for the least of these,
You do for Me.
Come take your place in My Father's house.

Verse 2
When I was naked, you gave Me your clothes,
My burdens laid bare, your love soothed My woes.
When I was homeless, you took Me in,
Offering refuge from storms deep within.

Verse 3
When I was ailing, it was your care
That lifted My spirit from the depths of despair.
Even in prison, you called on Me,
Sharing the love that sets captives free.

And it begins...

Thanks for stopping by. This website was created as a repository for songs written by Michael Mullink and Michael Vrazel. For nearly 3 years now, we have been writing and singing these songs for liturgy at our local parish, and we are hoping that by launching this website we might be able to share them with a broader audience. Rooted in our Christian faith, these songs have been a joy to write, and we hope you find them inspirational and insightful. Your feedback is welcome in the comments sections, and if you have any interest in using these songs for worship in your own community of faith, please drop us a line. We have scores and guitar music for most of them.

Here in this first post, we'd like to share with you a song inspired by the 25th Chapter of Matthew's Gospel: For The Least Of These. You can listen to the song by clicking the Streampad player at the bottom of this page. (We will be adding additional songs to the playlist shortly.) This recording was made at a Lenten concert put on by the music ministers of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Atlanta, GA on Mar. 26. We hope you enjoy it.