This hymn recalls these words from 1 John 4:7, 8: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

The text is a translation, by James Quinn, of the Latin hymn “Ubi Caritas,” traditionally associated with the celebration of Maunday Thursday (a commemoration of the events of the Last Supper). Historically, liturgical books offered it as a song to be sung during the washing of the feet, a rite that took place in this Maunday Thursday service between the reading of John 13:1-15 and the offertory. While most churches have long since discontinued the symbolic washing of feet, Seventh-day Adventist gain a great blessing from following Christ’s example in this “ordinance of humility.” Thus this hymn (1) is a song intimately connected with the celebration of and reflection on the Lord’s last supper; (2) focuses our attention on Christ’s words in the course of that supper, when He gave His new law of love (the Latin for “new law” is mandatum novum; the English word “Maunday” is derived from mandatum); (3) has been closely associated with the powerful ordinance that reenacts Christ’s gesture of love as service, i.e., the washing of feet.

James Quinn was born April 21, 1919, at Glasgow, Scotland, and educated there at St. Aloysius’ College and at the University of Glasgow. Later he studied philosophy at Heythrop College, Oxfordshire, England, and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1950. He has served in a number of churches and as a teacher in several colleges; in addition, his keen interest in the unity of the churches has led to at least 10 appointments on national and international bodies working toward that end. Besides two volumes of hymns, he has written articles, reviews, and pamphlets on theological and doctrinal subjects, including articles in the New Catholic Encyclopedia. Throughout his career he sought to make more opportunities in the church service for people to sing meaningful hymns, rather than just to sit in the pews and be entertained by the clergy. Therefore, many of his hymns were born out of a need to fill gaps in subject matter, yet Quinn sought to keep them true to Scripture. He sometimes dispensed with the fetters of rhyme, but always achieved a direct and forceful expression. With the help of a musical friend who was headmaster of a primary school, he often tried out his texts on children, to see if they could be easily understood and had suitability for singing. He has thus made a strong contribution to modern hymnody.

UBI CARITAS (Where Affection [Is] first was used in the Westminster Hymnal, 1940, made for the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral at Westminster (not to be confused with Westminster Abbey which is Anglican). This is one of Murray’s singable melodies that has found its way into many other hymnals.

Anthony Gregory Murray was born February 27, 1905, in Fulham, London. He sang in the Westminster Cathedral Choir School at 9. And soon became assistant organist to Sir Richard Terry (see SDAH 364). At 17 he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. After study at Christ’s College, Cambridge, he was ordained a priest in 1932, and became organist at Downside Abbey. During his work as parish priest in several places, he made a significant contribution to hymnody, liturgical music, and organ literature. He was assistant editor of a number of Catholic hymnbooks from 1966 to 1973. He was the musical consultant in the preparation of the Grail version of the Gelineau Psalms, to which he contributed several antiphons. Twelve of his tunes and arrangements appear in The Australian Hymn Book, 1977.

📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.