A Vision of the Future

The year before Lee died, I joined a virtual choir in England. One of the pieces we learned was Quanta Qualia. We were told that the lyrics described how happy we would be when we could get together and sing in an in-person choir.

After Lee died, I was struck by the beauty of this message: Lee and I singing together again in heaven. I wrote to the choir director for permission to include our recording in Lee’s memorial service. He agreed. A few days later, I got a letter from the lyricist. The message is not about an earthly choir; it describes the redeemed, together in heaven, singing praises to God.

Quanta Qualia

Oh, what their joy and their glory must be

Those endless Sabbaths the blessed ones see.

A crown for the valiant, for the weary one rest.

God shall be All and in all Ever Blessed.

Posting credit (for this stanza): “O What Their Joy and Their Glory Must Be” (from Latin hymn O quanta qualia sunt illa Sabbata, attrib. Peter Abelard, 12th c.); trans. John Mason Neale (1854). Public domain.

Here is the YouTube Link. Just a heads up, we sang it in Latin.

https://youtu.be/acZx_FJlSrI?si=yyAdK8nheZCpFzp3