The St. Louis Jesuits are a group of Catholic composers who popularized a c… Read Full Bio ↴The St. Louis Jesuits are a group of Catholic composers who popularized a contemporary style of church music through their compositions and recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. The group, made up of Jesuit scholastics at Saint Louis University, originally used acoustic guitars and pop-style melodies and rhythms to set Biblical and other religious texts to music sung in English in response to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
Without intent, a groundswell of popularity took place when students, seminarians, and women religious took stenciled mimeographed copies of their new music back to their communities where it became known as music by the "St. Louis Jesuits."

The Beautiful Mother
St. Louis Jesuits Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The beautiful mother is bending low, where her baby lies.
Helpless and frail for her tending, but she knows the glorious eyes.
The mother smiles and rejoices, while baby laughs in the hay.
She listens to heavenly voices: "The child shall be king one day."

All nations draw near to the manger low on this holy night.
Surely as shepherds and kings they come, to know the glorious sight.
0 See the angels before Him, who rule the earth with their might.

With Ioseph and Mary adore Him, in stillness behold the light.

Overall Meaning

The song "The Beautiful Mother" by St. Louis Jesuits portrays the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of Mary, his mother. The first verse describes Mary's presence over the manger where her baby lies. She is portrayed as a motherly figure, taking care of her helpless child, yet aware of his divine destiny to become the king. Mary is depicted as a joyous and serene mother, smiling at her baby while he laughs in the hay. She also listens to the "heavenly voices," which could be interpreted as the angels singing the news of the Messiah being born.

The second verse talks about the people from different nations who come to the manger to witness the miraculous sight of the birth of the Son of God. The shepherds and kings are mentioned specifically, representing the humble and the lofty, both recognizing the significance of Christ's birth. The angels, who rule with great power, are also shown to be in awe of this event. Finally, Mary, Joseph, and the visitors adore the baby Jesus in silence, basking in the divine light of the Messiah.

Overall, this song celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and shows the various emotions and perspectives of the people involved in the story. It highlights the humble beginnings of the Savior and the profound impact that he will have on the world.

Line by Line Meaning

The beautiful mother is bending low, where her baby lies.
The mother is humbly tending to her infant child who lies helpless in a manger.

Helpless and frail for her tending, but she knows the glorious eyes.
Although the baby is dependent on her care, the mother is aware of the divine nature of her child.

The mother smiles and rejoices, while baby laughs in the hay.
The joyous mother is delighted by her infant son's laughter as he lies in the hay.

She listens to heavenly voices: "The child shall be king one day."
The mother hears a prophecy that foretells her son will grow up to be a powerful and influential leader.

All nations draw near to the manger low on this holy night.
People from all over the world come to see the baby in the humble manger on this sacred evening.

Surely as shepherds and kings they come, to know the glorious sight.
Both common people and royalty alike are drawn to witness the spectacular event of the baby's birth.

See the angels before Him, who rule the earth with their might.
The heavenly beings are present to honor and assist the newborn child, affirming his divine importance.

With Ioseph and Mary adore Him, in stillness behold the light.
The mother and father of the child are reverent as they quietly contemplate the cosmic significance of the infant savior's arrival.

Writer(s): John Foley, S.j.

Contributed by Tristan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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