By Josh Low
Subiaco Parish Youth Coordinator, Ignite Youth band member and self-made music producer, Paul Curtis, spoke to The Record Magazine on glorifying God through music, and the roles that music has in the living out of the Catholic faith.
Music is a big part of Paul’s life, having always been surrounded with it, as his father was a musician and songwriter in Brisbane who played both in bands, and at the local parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.
Born the day after his mum went into labour halfway through one of his father’s gigs, Paul began honing his musical talents by learning instruments from age nine, and says that to him, music is like a language for people to communicate through.
“Even if people don’t listen to music, they can relate to the joy or peace that is experienced from listening to a beautiful sound – melody – that a bird makes.
“Melody and rhythm plays a key part in our everyday lives; even our heart pumps to a rhythm.”
Paul believes that music and faith can work together to inspire and motivate us on our faith journeys, but says that faith is not reliant on music, as music is not a requirement to be a faithful person or disciple of Jesus.
“Music can assist me with connecting with God, but if my faith isn’t built on solid foundations, I can easily become attached to the beauty of music, and forget that my first calling is to be a disciple,” Paul said.
“If I lose sight of the way that God can use my gifts to bless others, I need to stop and reassess the desires of my heart.
“For me, my faith and relationship with Jesus is all about prayer, the Sacraments – most importantly, the Eucharist – and serving others.”
Paul revealed that his faith journey, especially in its early stages, had many challenges.
He says that egocentric thinking behind his music, as well as friendships that were not centred on Christ, made it difficult to deepen his relationship with God.
“I was surrounded by friends that didn’t believe in God, and this influenced my point of view.
“Rather than pursuing what God wanted for my life, I was caught in living up to the expectations of my friends.
“I had become consumed by my identity as a musician, and didn’t feel like I might be accepted for who I was without my music abilities,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I was actually quite lonely and lost.”
However, he found comfort and inspiration through witnessing the faith of the Catholic youth he was surrounded by in his time with Brisbane’s Ignite Youth band, as well as the prayer of St Francis (In being an instrument of the Lord).
“My family would often pray this prayer when I was growing up and I believe it relates to what I’m talking about.
“St Francis uses the word, ‘instrument’, in regards to our bodies and all that we are.
“The prayer begins with asking God to make us an instrument of His peace, and closes with asking that it not be about us,” he said.
His involvement on the Ignite Youth scene later inspired him to give back to others by ministering to the youth, joining the National Evangelisation Team (N.E.T), and traveling around Australia sharing his experiences and passion for the Catholic faith.
Upon moving to Perth in 2012, he was asked to assist with the youth music team and later, the Youth Coordinator duties at his parish of St Joseph’s in Subiaco, and now also plays in the band for the Ignite Youth Perth team.
Paul says that seeing so many young people develop their Catholic faith is both exciting and inspirational.
“My hope is for people to see the face of God revealed through the words of the prayers that we sing at St Joseph’s and in the Ignite Youth band.
“My desire is that young people would be inspired to live according to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Reflecting on stories from the Old Testament, Paul discussed how God does not need music, but sees its value for inspiring, motivating and at times being an avenue by which one can free themselves from difficult circumstances.
“A spirit torments Saul, and God calls David to play the Lyre for King Saul, and the spirit leaves Saul, freeing him of the torment (1 Samuel 16:14).
“In the book of Psalms we also hear about people praising God with Harp and Lyre (Psalm 33:2).
“Based on these scriptures, it is clear to me that music is a gift from God, and is an avenue for helping others and giving God praise.
“But if I play music and do not have love and passion for God’s kingdom, it is empty of worth and is just noise.
“Music always has more depth when it is created as a gift to God and others,” he concluded.
From pages 20 and 21 from Issue 7: ‘Dominic Perissinotto: Growing in faith, with music’ of The Record Magazine