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Music

Conductors: Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy
Organist: Andrew Unsworth
Announcer: Lloyd D. Newell

“Alleluia Fanfare/Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”¹
Music: from Stralsund Gesangbuch
Lyrics: Joachim Neander; trans. Catherine Winkworth
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Alabaré (I Will Praise)”
Music and lyrics: José Pagán and Manuel José Alonso
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Folk Tune” (organ solo)
Music: Percy Whitlock

“Let Us All Press On”²
Music and lyrics: Evan Stephens
Arrangement: Richard Elliott

“Music Everywhere”
Music: Ryan Murphy
Lyrics: adapted from S. W. Foster

“Meditation”
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Hijos del Senõr, venid”
Music: Spanish melody
Lyrics: James H. Wallis
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

1. From the album America’s Choir.
2. From the album Let Us All Press On.

The Spoken Word

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa

June 15, 2023
(Recorded in Mexico, June 2023)
Lloyd D. Newell

When you come here to Mexico, you feel a welcoming spirit. You often hear people say, “Mi casa es tu casa,” which is Spanish for “my house is your house.” With that kind of openness, visitors quickly become friends. Hearts open wide and freely as people generously welcome others into their lives. Relationships are cherished here. Indeed, that sense of community, of belonging, is a key source of identity for people all around the Latino world.

No matter our culture or personality, we need one another. Sadly, too many of us feel alone and disconnected, and 24/7 digital connection doesn’t seem to meet that need.

A prominent physician recently told of a patient who had many friends but little money—“a modest salary and humble lifestyle. Then he won the lottery. Overnight, his life changed. He quit his job and moved into a large house in a gated community.” But his newfound fortune came with a cost—he was alone. With sadness in his voice, the patient said, “Winning the lottery was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.” He had lost the neighbors and friends who had brought so much joy to his life, and his physical and emotional health suffered.¹

Just as a plant needs water and sunlight, our souls need friendship. We need to care about people, and we need to know that they care about us. We need a welcoming community, where we draw others in rather than shutting them out, where people and relationships matter, where “mi casa,” as humble as it may be, is always “tu casa.”

Sometimes that means welcoming new friends into our home. More often, it means welcoming them into our lives and hearts. It requires trust, but trust has always been the price of friendship.

Some would say those days are long gone, that it’s old fashioned to think people can be so open and generous to their neighbors. The people of Mexico would never accept that, and we don’t have to either. We can’t let love and friendship go out of style, because we face challenges—global and personal—that we can overcome only as we work together. This is why we always leave the door open to new friendships.

God’s children were meant to be together—if not under one roof, then in one heart. And a great first step is the spirit of “mi casa es tu casa.”

1. See Vivek H. Murthy, “Surgeon General: We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That,” New York Times, Apr. 30, 2023, nytimes.com.