Sunday Music: Stabat Mater, BWV 1083

It is the fifth Sunday in Lent. The title of today’s Bach piece is “Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden” (Cancel, Highest, my sins). It’s an adaptation of a Stabat Mater by Pergolesi. This is a longer one, and you will be forgiven if you can’t make it through the whole thing. That said, if you listen to the beginning, you may be captivated enough to stick it out.

Today’s Gospel reading is John 12:20-33:

Jesus Predicts His Death

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The text is available here. Verse 10 is translated as follows:

Let me feel the joy and pleasure,
let me gladly sound the triumph,
when the cross me hard doth press.

The words that match triumph, joy, and pleasure with bearing the cross echo the Gospel reading, which speaks of the coming glorification of the Son of Man when he loses his life.

Happy listening!

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