Rich Mullins

How Has Rich Mullins Touched You?

2012-03-18T17:52:00.003-07:00

Many of us on our journeys to discovering or re-discovering Catholicism have been influenced by Rich Mullins. People often tell us how Rich's music inspired them to grow in their faith. Or they talk about how Rich's journey to the Catholicism has given them the courage to take the same step he was going to make before he died. Still others tell us that they believe his prayers are what have brought them closer to Jesus and His Church.

Please take some time and share your story as a comment. Allow others to hear how Rich Mullins' life, legacy, and prayers have influenced you and hopefully your words will inspire others to grow in their journeys of faith.

"I Have to Receive the Body and Blood of Christ"

2011-05-14T07:08:00.001-07:00

When we wrote to Fr. Matt McGinnis last fall, one statement from Rich stood out more than any other: "I have to receive the Body and blood of Christ." That was one of the last things Rich said to Fr. Matt and then they made arrangements for him to do so within several days of that conversation.

When I think about Rich's words that day, I can't help but wonder what brought him to the point of such a bold proclamation. Rich had been attending daily Mass at the reservation. It is there that he experienced the Holy Sacrifice "re-presented" day after day. Did Rich hear Jesus beckon him to "Come all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest?"

Maybe Rich was reflecting on the writings of his hero St. Francis of Assisi who had a tremendous devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ. I wonder if he was pondering something like the following prayer of St. Francis:

Let every one be struck with fear,
let the whole world tremble,
and let the heavens exult
when Christ the Son of the Living God,
is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
O wonderful loftiness and stupendous dignity!
O sublime humility!
O humble sublimity!
The Lord of the universe,
God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself
that for our salvation
He hides Himself
under an ordinary piece of bread!
Brothers, look at the humility of God,
and pour out your hearts before him!
Humble yourselves
that you may be exalted by Him!
Hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves,
that He who gives Himself totally to you
May receive you totally!

I imagine Rich reading these words and inspired by the Holy Spirit, crying out to God "I want to receive you! I don't want to hold back anything from you. Receive me completely God." As evidenced by his songs, Rich was no stranger to the spiritual battle. I have no doubt he counted the cost of becoming Catholic. I am sure it took him years to come to that point of surrender turned to desire, turned to a cry of a heart that knows "I am nothing without you." Just as Peter said in John 6 after learning that in order to have life he must "Eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood," Rich knew there was nowhere else to go.

This struggle with total surrender is illustrated so eloquently in my favorite Rich Mullins song:

"Hold me Jesus"

Rich Mullins was such an example of faith and devotion to God. May you be blessed by his witness.

Divine Mercy Sunday

2011-04-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

This image is of the merciful love of Jesus being poured out through his wounded, sacred heart. Today the Catholic Church officially celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. The first universal celebration of this feast was in 2001. Click here for John Paul II's homily on that very first Divine Mercy Sunday. Amazingly enough today is also the beatification of John Paul II who embraced and exemplified the merciful love of God:

"The message of Divine Mercy has always been near and dear to me..., in a sense it forms the image of my Pontificate."

On this day I imagine the church triumphant (all those who have died in the love and mercy of God) rejoicing greatly at such events. In my mind I see all the saints and souls in heaven today celebrating the mercy of God. Rich passed away before the implementation of this great devotion yet I know he would have embraced it wholeheartedly. Rich was especially merciful toward the poor and disabled, toward those whom society considers useless. Rich lived mercy and encouraged others to do the same. Consider these words from his song "Let Mercy Lead."

Let mercy lead
Let love be the strength in your legs
And in every footprint that you leave
There'll be a drop of grace
If we can reach
Beyond the wisdom of this age
Into the foolishness of God
That foolishness will save
Those who believe
Although their foolish hearts may break
They will find peace
Where mercy leads

Jacob's Ladder

2011-04-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Check out this beautiful tune composed by Russ Rentler. Notice the photo of Rich Mullins taped to the sound board of the hammer dulcimer. We know who inspires (and prays for) this HD player.

God Became Microscopic!

2011-03-25T17:19:00.002-07:00

Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. It's the day Catholics recognize and celebrate the moment Mary said "Yes" to God and allowed the Holy Spirit to overshadow her conceiving the Word of God, Jesus. This morning at Mass our priest proclaimed "Today God became microscopic!" The Incarnation begins and in 9 months we'll be celebrating the Nativity.

In his music and spirituality Rich Mullins often expressed the incarnational reality of our faith. Many of his songs intertwine God and nature. This concept is sometimes referred to as the Sacramentality of Creation. It's the idea that God speaks to and touches us through the physical natural world. Of course he does! He became flesh, he was even willing to start his earthly existence as one of the tiniest of living organisms, the human embryo.

The song "Calling Out Your Name" is a beautiful example of how Rich Mullins saw God speaking through nature. Listen closely to the lyrics as you watch the video below:

Rich Mullins and St. Patrick

2011-03-17T14:51:00.001-07:00

I like to imagine Rich Mullins praying with St. Patrick on this the Saint's feast day. The two had so much in common, especially in their love and devotion to Christ. When St. Patrick was traveling through Ireland in the early part of the 5th Century on his quest to teach the beautiful truths of the Christian (Catholic) faith to the people of Ireland, he was approached by a pagan leader of the Irish people who questioned St. Patrick about this "God" he spoke of:

And then Ethne broke forth into the questions:
"Who is God?"
"Where is His dwelling?"
"Has He sons and daughters?"
"Is He rich in silver and gold?"
"Is He everlasting? is He beautiful?"
"Are His daughters dear and lovely to the men of this world?"
"Is He on the heavens or on earth?"
"In the sea, in rivers, in mountains, in valleys?"
"Make Him known to us. How is He to be seen?"
"How is He to be loved? How is He to be found?"
"Is it in youth or is it in old age that He may be found?"

But St. Patrick, filled with the Holy Ghost, made answer:
"God, whom we announce to you, is the Ruler of all things."
"The God of heaven and earth, of the sea and the rivers."
"The God of the sun, and the moon, and all the stars."
"The God of the high mountains and of the low-lying valleys."
"The God who is above heaven, and in heaven, and under heaven."
"His dwelling is in heaven and earth, and the sea, and all therein."
"He gives breath to all."
"He gives life to all."
"He is over all."
"He upholds all."
"He gives light to the sun."
"He imparts splendour to the moon."
"He has made wells in the dry land, and islands in the ocean."
"He has appointed the stars to serve the greater lights."
"His Son is co-eternal and co-equal with Himself."
"The Son is not younger than the Father."
"And the Father is not older than the Son."
"And the Holy Ghost proceeds from them."
"The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are undivided."
(from: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia)

I imagine Rich Mullins must have been contemplating the love which St. Patrick had for our Lord. as he traveled through Ireland creating the video below:

Preferential Option for the Poor

2011-03-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Deeply rooted in Catholic theology, is the idea that the poor and marginalized of society should be treated with great respect. Almost all the Saints throughout history have made the poor a priority in their lives. Rich identified with St. Francis of Assisi who after his conversion dedicated the rest of his life to serving the poor. Many years later in our present time we were blessed with the example of Mother Teresa who often spoke of "Jesus in the distressing disguise of the poor."

John Paul II had a great love for the poor and even spoke about a "Preferential Option for the Poor" which he said was:

motivated by the contemplation of the face of Christ -- "If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me" (Mt 25:35-37)

After Rich's death, a wonderful video about his life was produced called "Homeless Man - The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins." The video has been broken up into several clips and posted on YouTube. The clip below illustrates Rich's profound identification with and love for the poor.

One Step At A Time

2011-03-03T05:24:00.001-08:00

Sometimes conversion happens in a dramatic way in response to a specific event or life circumstance like the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. Most of the time however, conversion happens one step at a time with fits and starts and often a little slip here and there. Ultimately, true conversion over a lifetime draws us deeper into truth and ever nearer into union and communion with our Lord.

For Rich Mullins conversion seemed to happen one step at a time. He makes reference to that in one of his last concerts where he tells a story of how he was born again and again and again.
Rich attended RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults) the Catholic conversion class, about a year before he died. This class is intended to bring the participant into a deep understanding of the Catholic faith and emphasizes the need for conversion. Right before Easter, the RCIA class goes to confession in preparation for receiving our Lord through the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ). Rich did not complete his conversion at that first Easter, and lost his life before his scheduled entrance into full communion with the Catholic Church. Yet Rich Mulllins no doubt experienced great insight through his study of Catholicism and developed an unquestionable maturity in his faith as the years progressed.

This maturity is particularly evident in the song, "Creed." Coming from the tradition of Quakerism with slogans like "No Creed But Christ," imagine the steps of conversion it must have taken him to finally get to the place where he not only accepted the Apostles Creed but was moved to the point of pouring his heart out in words and music to show his devotion to God through this ancient statement of faith.

Consider the beautiful words to this song below and watch Rich perform this amazing melody on video:

I believe in God the Father
Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered was crucified, buried, and dead
He descended into hell and on the third day, rose again
He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning
To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it, I believe it
I believe it
I believe it, I believe it

I believe in God the Father
Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son, our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit
One Holy Church
The communion of Saints
The forgiveness of sin
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
I did not make it, no it is making me
I said I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

Would Rich Mullins Have Become Catholic?

2011-02-22T06:51:00.002-08:00

Yesterday I discovered this link from the Rich Mullins Wikipedia discussion page. Some of the information here is not widely known and I think further illustrates the fact that Rich did indeed plan to enter the Catholic Church before he died.

Would Rich Mullins Have Become Catholic?

“I have to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.”

These words of Rich Mullins, a Christian musician who died in a car accident on September 19, 1997, days before he planned to join the Catholic church, will never fade in Fr. Matt McGinness’ memory.

“It’s what will always stick with me,” says Fr. McGinness.

In the Beginning...

Fr. McGinness, vocations director of the Diocese of Wichita, and Mullins became friends while Mullins attended Friends University in Wichita. Fr. McGinness says Mullins asked him to give him instructions in the faith, but Fr. McGinness told him it would be more appropriate for him to attend RCIA sessions at his local parish, Blessed Sacrament.

Five years later, Fr. McGinness says he received that call from Mullins saying that he could no longer wait to receive the Eucharist. Fr. McGinness arranged for Mullins to be received in the church in a private ceremony on September 22, but the fatal car accident irrevocably changed that plan.

Those RCIA sessions in 1992 may have been the formal education that Mullins received in the faith, but his interest reached back nearly 20 years.

“He was always interested in the Catholic Church and that never left him,” says Jim Smith, chaplain and professor at Friends University, who was a close friend of Mullins and has written his biography, An Arrow Pointing to Heaven (Broadman & Holman Publishers).

Mullins lived with Smith and his family in their attic apartment for more than two years, including the time he was attending RCIA classes.

Drawn in by the Depth of Brother Sun

Smith says when Rich was about 20 years old, he saw the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon and was “blown away.” Mullins was struck by St. Francis of Assisi’s radical trust in Christ, says Smith.

Keith Bordeaux, who worked with Mullins promoting his albums and scheduling tours, says Mullins always said that he admired St. Francis immensely, but was "too wimpy" to join the Franciscan Brotherhood. Bordeaux wrote in a statement shortly after Mullins’ death that Mullins had taken "unofficial" vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. He and his friend, Beaker, began an informal group they called the Kid Brothers of St. Frank where they mentored young musicians to live simply and to glorify God through their music.

Mullins adopted St. Francis’ instruction to preach the Gospel through example.

Although he had multiple gold records, song-of-the-year awards, and other successes, Mullins lived out his vow of poverty by taking an annual salary of the average working person (about $24,000) and giving the rest of his money away to his church and other charities.

He never married and strived to make the love of God his center. Bordeaux wrote, “(Rich Mullins) longed to know fully who he was in Christ and to increase his faith through his obedience. And he trusted St. Bonaventure when he said, ‘That heart is free that is held by no other love than the love of God.’"

Other saints like St. Patrick and Catholic authors like G.K. Chesterton also influenced Mullins’ spiritual growth, Smith says.

Mitch McVicker, who quickly became friends with Mullins while they were students at Friends University, performed with Mullins and lived with him for almost three years before the car accident.

McVicker says, “For as long as I knew him, he was always talking about becoming a Catholic. He probably felt more comfortable at that kind of service (Roman Catholic Mass) than anywhere else. He was drawn to the liturgical stuff.”

Mullins first introduced himself to McVicker in a class because he thought McVicker looked like the perfect person to play “Frank” in a musical he was thinking about writing based on the life of St. Francis.

Mullins and McVicker collaborated and wrote the musical, Canticle of the Plains, that takes St. Francis’ life and transposes it into the American Old West.

Catholic Themes in Rich's Life and Work

Canticle naturally contained Catholic theology, like in the song "Oh My Lord," which are the stations of the cross. Mullins also wove Catholic images throughout his CD A Liturgy, a Legacy and a Ragamuffin Band; for example, the song “Creed” uses the Apostle’s Creed as the text for the verses. On his collection CD titled Songs, many of the photographs feature Catholic sacramentals, including a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mullins said in an interview after its release that some of his Protestant fans were upset by the images.

In a promotional video, "Pursuit of a Legacy," produced in 1994 by Reunion Records, Mullins defended veneration of Mary when he said, “I’ve often thought, you know, of people worrying with the Catholic thing of revering Mary. Maybe it’s not that they revere Mary too much, maybe it’s that all of us revere each other too little.”

McVicker and Mullins lived together in a modest trailer home on a Navajo Nation reservation near Window Rock, Arizona, at the time of Mullins’ death. They attended daily Mass frequently at the Franciscan mission church on the reservation.

Fr. McGinness says Mullins told him some of the Protestants he worked with on the reservation were uncomfortable that he attended Mass. Apparently, Mullins told them if they could provide him with a comparable daily Scripture study, he would consider it. Until then, he would continue going to Mass, Fr. McGinness says.

The Controversy

Whether Mullins would have actually gone through with his verbal commitment to join the Catholic church remains a quiet controversy among his friends.

“I think some Catholics were too quick to turn him into a poster child for Protestant conversion to Catholicism,” Smith says.

“He called me and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to join the church on the Feast of St. Francis?’ but it wasn’t his personality to be that specific. He blew with the wind. He could have changed his mind that day,” says Smith.

Fr. McGinness says a lot of Mullins’ fears that he discussed with him were about losing his primarily Protestant audience.

Smith agrees and says, “Rich was well aware of the price he would have to pay if he joined the Catholic church. It would have been very difficult for his family and painful for a lot of fans.”

Smith says he thinks some ecumenical good can come from the fact Mullins died before possibly joining the Catholic church: both Protestants and Catholics can still lay claim to Mullins and his music.

“I think what Rich would be saying is appreciate each other, work as one,” says Smith.

Fr. McGinness sees Mullins’ premature death differently. He says if Mullins had converted, it would have forced his Protestant audience to make a decision.

“Some of them would have had to get over their prejudice. It would have been another fork in the road for them, just like it was for Rich,” he says.

McVicker says he thinks a big reason why Mullins delayed joining the church was simply because he had such a hectic schedule. “We would be someplace else on Easter rather than where he needed to be to join the church. The lifestyle of doing music is your schedule is set six months to a year in advance. Rich never planned (his personal life) that far in advance.”

Smith says he doubts Mullins ever would have had the certainty necessary to make the act of profession and formally join the Roman Catholic church. “The fact is he went through RCIA and didn’t do it, he never made a definitive decision,” says Smith.

“There was always something that seemed to get in the way, like he wasn’t all the way sold on it,” says McVicker. But McVicker also says, “He was right on the verge, yeah he very well could have been on the verge.”

“Rich was definitely going to enter the church,” says Fr. McGinness. He says the phone call he received from Mullins just days before the car accident leave him unshaken in his conviction that Mullins was ready to take the final steps to join the church.

Fr. McGinness says through his music Mullins was growing closer to God and seemed to be undeniably drawing closer to Jesus and his church.

“At one of Rich’s memorial services, Amy Grant said that Rich was the guilty conscience of contemporary Christian music. I think she may have meant that some musicians use it to switch over to mainstream music, pop or country, but not Rich. Rich was moving farther away from mainstream. He was becoming more deeply Christian all the time,” says Fr. McGinness.

I Believe What I Believe...

2011-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

The song "Creed" was Rich's interpretation of an ancient statement of faith. In the chorus he makes his own statement of belief about the creed.

I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it, no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

There is a long standing belief that any theological statement not explicitly written in the Bible is "man-made religion" or "the invention of man." This belief is closely linked with a suspicion of anything originating from ancient Christianity. It seems that Rich's chorus/statement about the Creed is not only a reaction to this suspicion but a statement about his own understanding of that Creed. His belief (the Creed) is making him. It is forming him and molding him. It is not a once and done salvation prayer or experience, but a living faith that causes him to be molded into the image of God he was created to be.

The chorus is also a statement of humility from Rich. He is not relying on his own interpretation of what Christianity is, but rather on an ancient statement of faith. He is proclaiming his acceptance of something that at one time he may have even thought of as an "invention of man," but now very clearly understands to be direct revelation from God. This revelation was not from him nor even from the men who wrote it, but from the Holy Spirit speaking through fallible human beings in order to articulate an orthodoxy and combat heresy.