History of Hymns: 'Let the Hungry Come to Me'

“Let the Hungry Come to Me”
By Delores Dufner

Let the hungry come to me,
Let the poor be fed.
Let the thirsty come and drink,
Share my wine and bread.
Though you have no money,
Come to me and eat.
Drink the cup I offer:
Feed on finest wheat!

© 1985 Sisters of St. Benedict, World Library Publications. Published by permission from GIA Publications, Inc.

“Let the Hungry Come to Me” by Sr. Delores Dufner, OSB (b. 1939) was written as a Communion hymn for a large diocesan celebration at St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Cloud, Minnesota. It is sung to a plainsong melody, ADORO TE DEVOTE, a processional hymn for the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Dufner, inspired by the hymn-writing style of Martin Luther and the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), remains true to her goal of making hymns accessible to congregations by focusing on the text and letting the familiarity of a tune support the hymn’s purpose and message. This text may be sung antiphonally between the choir and congregation to the plainsong melody.

In the first stanza, Dufner calls all to the Communion table—the poor, the hungry, and the thirsty—to share in a feast and to be fed and nurtured in body and spirit, as individuals and as a part of the church, the body of Christ. As with many of her hymns, “Let the Hungry Come to Me” shows Dufner’s commitment to bridging denominational identities and enlivening the eucharistic experience.

The text draws extensively on scripture. Stanza 2, beginning, “I myself am living bread,” alludes to John 6:51. The remainder of the stanza paraphrases the Words of Institution found in the synoptic gospels, including Matthew 26:26-29 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25. Stanza 3 begins, “Here among you shall I dwell, / making all things new”—a reference to Revelation 21:5. The second half of the stanza compares the Eucharist to the wedding feast, an image common in Revelation (18:23; 19:7; 21:2; 21:9; 22:17). Stanza 4 refers to feeding the hungry with “manna in the desert” (Exodus 16 and John 6:30-32). Stanza 5 begins with an allusion to a prayer from the first-century Christian document, the Didache: “Many grains become one loaf, / Many grapes the wine.” This document was revived during the reforms of Vatican II. The final stanza exhorts: “Risen Savior, walk with us, / Lead us by the hand.” Indeed, the Eucharist is not a memorial meal, but a meal of thanksgiving for the risen Christ.

This hymn emphasizes not only nourishment and thanksgiving, but also intimacy and liberation. Feeding the hungry is a central action of Communion in this text. Mennonite hymn writer Adam M.L. Tice suggests that “the field of liberation theology has broadened ecumenical understandings of justice in the eucharist” (Tice, 2006, p. 50), an idea upon which Dufner draws in this hymn.

Sister Delores has received numerous commissions to write hymn lyrics for special occasions or needs, and her lyrics are the basis of more than eighty choral octavos. She has five published hymn collections published by GIA Music. This hymn may be found in her 2016 collection, Criers of Splendor. She is a member of Saint Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and holds master’s degrees in liturgical music from St. Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, Indiana, and in liturgical studies from Notre Dame, Indiana. She was elected a fellow of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 2013. She received a lifetime award from the National Pastoral Musicians (NPM) in 2014 and the Christus Rex award from Valparaiso University Institute for Liturgical Studies for her lifelong commitment to liturgical renewal in 2017.

Sources:

Delores Dufner, OSB, Criers of Splendor (Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc., 2016).

Michael Silhavy, "Delores Dufner," The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology, Canterbury Press, http://www.hymnology.co.uk/d/delores-dufner.

Adam M.L. Tice, “Singing Shapes Communion: The Progression of Eucharistic Theology in 20th-Century Mennonite Hymnals,” The Conrad Grebel Review 24, no. 3 (Fall 2006), 45-64.

Michele McCreary is a sacred music student at the University of North Texas (Denton), where she studies with Drs. Joshua Taylor and Michael Conrady.