O Canada

We Canadians have just celebrated Canada’s 143rd birthday together.  Queen Elizabeth was even in our nation’s capital, Ottawa to celebrate our national celebration this year with us and I watched the pomp and pageantry on T.V. from the comfort of my recliner.  The Queen was resplendent in a red dress with a huge “maple leaf” broach on her left shoulder and a white “lamp shade” like hat on her head.  (Sorry, I mean no disrespect, I just don’t have any other words to adequately describe it…my apologies to Her Majesty).  Queen Elizabeth II gave a short speech wishing Canada (and all its’ citizens) a “Happy Birthday” but her biggest applause came when she made reference to the Olympic Hockey Team winning gold in Vancouver.  Yeah, she knows how to win over a Canadian crowd all right!

I thought it interesting as everyone belted out the words to “God Save the Queen” and then “O Canada” (Canada’s National Anthem) that in a country that prides itself on it’s multiculturalism and diversity of religion that at least when we sing our national anthem we remember Who brought us together as a nation.  Sure, many have sought to remove “God” from our anthem; the ongoing battle of separating church from state continues, but on Canada Day that is all but forgotten.  We sing the words with passion and with national fervour!   

As I saw the thousands and thousands of people there singing ‘O Canada’ on Parliament Hill in front of the Peace Tower, I couldn’t help but liken the scene to the one described in Philippians, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (vs. 9-11).  It is a prayer and a promise.  One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I wonder if we Canadians who sing the National Anthem even realize that we sing a prayer to the Father with these words: “God keep our land glorious and free!”  It is impossible to separate church from state when we implore the God of the Universe to “keep” our land glorious and free! 

‘O Canada’ was proclaimed Canada’s national anthem on July 1, 1980, 100 years after it was first sung on June 24, 1880.  The music was composed by Calixa Lavallee, and French lyrics to accompany the music were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.  Many English versions have appeared over the years in fact in 1901 a Toronto doctor, Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson penned these lyrics:

“O Canada! Our fathers’ land of old
Thy brow is crown’d with leaves of red and gold.
Beneath the shade of the Holy Cross
Thy children own their birth
No stains thy glorious annals gloss
Since valour shield thy hearth.
Almighty God! On thee we call
Defend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall,
Defend our rights, forfend this nation’s thrall.”

(Notice the prayer…)

In 1908 Mercy E Powell McCulloch won a competition with these lyrics to go with Lavallee’s music:

” O Canada! in praise of thee we sing;
From echoing hills our anthems proudly ring.
With fertile plains and mountains grand
With lakes and rivers clear,
Eternal beauty, thos dost stand
Throughout the changing year.
Lord God of Hosts! We now implore
Bless our dear land this day and evermore,
Bless our dear land this day and evermore.”

(Again, notice the prayer…)

However in 1908, the lyrics by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer in Montreal, after a few minor amendments, the first verse of Weir’s poem was finally proclaimed as the official English version of ‘O Canada’ in 1980:

“O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North, strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free !
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”

I don’t know if many Canadians realize that there are several more verses to ‘O Canada’.  I particularly want to draw attention to the last verse.  It leaves no doubt that ‘O Canada’ is more than a national anthem, it is our nation’s heartfelt prayer to God every time we stand to sing it.  Here is the original poem of 1908 by Stanley Weir:

“O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.”

Amen.

http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/anthem-eng.cfm

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