I visited St. James in Falls Church, Virginia for the first time tonight for the Sunday Vigil Mass, because Bishop Burbidge was installing Fr. Paul Scalia as St. James’s new pastor. Fr. Scalia was one of our speakers earlier this year during our Leonine Forum fellowship, and he’s a great witness. I don’t think I’ve ever been to the installation of a pastor before, and hearing the public commitment the pastor takes in faithfulness to Christ and the Bishop was great.

One of the hymns we sang was Horatius Bonar’s 1846 “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say:”

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, O weary one, lay down
your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water; thirsty one,
stoop down and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
look unto me, your morn shall rise,
and all your days be bright.”
I looked to Jesus and I found
in him my Star, my Sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk,
’til trav’ling days are done.