Worshiping God Without a Voice

By Leslie Bertucci

Very early in my faith journey, God gave me the gift of worshiping him through song and helping others to do the same.

In the last 35 years, the act of sung worship has become an integral part of who I am, both in leading groups and in my personal prayer time. Not a day goes by that I’m not joyfully singing praise to the God who loves me.

Until recently.

A few months ago, I received a medical diagnosis of nodules on my vocal cords. While not a life-threatening illness, I felt devastated. I was put on vocal rest for several months, meaning I couldn’t sing or even speak loudly.

I would have to learn a different way to worship, and it wouldn’t be easy.

While at the first Sunday Mass during my “time of silence” as I quietly cried through some of my favorite hymns, I noticed extra volume coming from my husband and sons seated next to me. They later told me that they had decided they would sing loudly enough to make up for the loss of my voice.

Later that night, as I checked in with my Facebook friends, several former CCD students – now married and raising children of their own – said they were doing the same thing. Their families were offering extra loud sung praise at Mass as a prayer for my healing. I was touched beyond words.

The next day, I was struck by something I read during my morning meditation: “We worship God simply by being what we were created to be.”

God created me to be a loving wife and mother, a living witness of God’s love to those around me. If that means worshiping in silence for a time, so be it. If it means others will praise God even louder for my sake, it’s worth the sacrifice.