Ignatian spirituality calls us to join Christ’s work in the world–now, today. It looks eagerly for the coming of the Kingdom. A song that captures this mood of expectant faith is “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield wrote it in the midst of the social unrest of the 1960s. He was inspired by Martin Luther King’s speech at the March on Washington, and you might say that the song gives musical expression to to King’s message of hope for the lowly ones and a promise of social change:
So people get ready, there’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
Lyrics here. Here is Mayfield performing it on a TV show in the 80s.
“The Gentle Giant” was the man. Really love his stuff! Musical liberation theology.