"" (Show us, Lord, your might and goodness) is a Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

penitence Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derives ...

. The lyrics were written in the early 1980s by Raymund Weber. They were combined with a melody from the 1708 hymnal by

Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen Johann Anastasius Freylinghausen (2 December 1670 in Bad Gandersheim — 12 February 1739 in Halle) was a theologian of the pietist Halle School and a scholar and follower of August Hermann Francke. He was the second director of the Franckeschen ...

. The song in three

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

s appeared in the 2013 Catholic hymnal ''

Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speak ...

'' as GL 272 in the section for

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

History

The lyrics were written, beginning around 1980, by

Raymund Weber Raymund can be both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Raymund Fugger (1489–1535), German businessman, Reichsgraf and art collector * Raymund Hart (1899–1960), senior commander in the Royal Air Force ...

, a

Germanist German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, German literature, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on Culture ...

and theologian who was inspired by the changes of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. He began by translating a Swedish song by , but ended writing his own wording for the Swedish melody. When his song was considered for inclusion in the Catholic hymnal ''

'', the Swedish melody was dropped in favour of a Baroque melody from the 1708 hymnal by

. It appeared in the ''Gotteslob'' in the second edition in 2013 as GL 272, in the section for

, the time of penitence and fasting before Easter (''Österliche Bußzeit – Fastenzeit''). It was also included in the songbook ''Das Liederbuch / Lieder zwischen Himmel und Erde''.

Text

Weber wrote three

s of six lines each, rhyming ababcc. The first stanza is a prayer, for the ability to experience God's might and goodness, and to receive the fire of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

to turn away the anxiety in us. In the second stanza, the singers realize themselves as tools of God's promise (''Werkzeuge deiner Verheißung''), and request to be able to act motivated by faith and love. They begin the third stanza: "Call us to turning whenever we fail" (''Ruf uns zur Umkehr, sooft wir versagen''). They address God as the answer to desperate questions (''Antwort bist du in verzweifelten Fragen''), and request to be taught forgiveness, trust and patience. Finally the sacrifice of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

is mentioned as a model in both words and deeds.

Melody

The Baroque melody from the 1708 hymnal is unusual for a hymn, in

triple time Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 ( compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , a ...

and with several melismata. It is a

bar form Bar form (German: ''die Barform'' or ''der Bar'') is a musical form of the pattern AAB. Original use The term comes from the rigorous terminology of the Meistersinger guilds of the 15th to 18th century who used it to refer to their songs and the ...

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: Change ...

, beginning with an expressive

cruciform melody A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

(E D G F) of narrow intervals and a leap. \relative c' The conclusion (''Abgesang'') contains the beginning in reverse (''Umkehrung''), a musical image for ''Umkehr'' or repentance. Never touching the ground key on a line's end, the melody softens only towards the end. \relative c''

References

Cited sources

* * * *

External links

Sing, bet und geh auf Gottes Wegen ... / 40 neue und bekannte geistliche Lieder erschlossen
(in German) Herder * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeige Uns Herr Deine Allmacht Und Gute Catholic hymns in German 1982 compositions