This blog is turning into “Analysis of Hymns Old and New”. Thank you for your support in these trying times.
We had “Be Thou My Vision” at Mass on Sunday. I was belting it out without aid from the hymnal but I found that these lines:
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son/
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
Had been changed to these:
Thou my great father and I thy true heir/thou in me dwelling and I in thy care
On balance I approve the change but I found it slightly disconcerting on the day.
*Updated to add: Mr Waffle has pointed out to me that heir is not necessarily a gender neutral term. I’m just baffled.