22 December 2008

The Last Song You Hear on Earth


In the mid 1980's I had a garage band called "Vladimir's Universe" that performed in local clubs. My mentor was a guy named Tom V. Silvia. He had a studio in a garage where he recorded and produced a demo tape for me.

After losing touch with him for 20 years I decided to Google him and found that he passed away in 2007. On his memorial page I found out that he was a devout Catholic who was involved at a parish here in Ann Arbor. Requiescat in pace! May his memory be eternal!

I bring this all up because there was a recording of him on the memorial page. Tom mentioned that in Catholic teaching the last sense lost when you die is hearing. That's why the priest whispers in the ear of someone who died.

Being a musician, Tom felt it was important to leave with a good song. He chose "Love Supreme" by John Coltrane--partially because of it's length.

The Eastern tradition (Orthodox & Byzantine Catholic) is to chant the entire Psalter for the dying person. I hope that my kids will do this for me. If God would allow it, I would love to pass while my oldest son is chanting Psalm 51 "Miserere mei, Deus" in Tone IV 4.

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