“Do you not know, my friend, that you owe the first fruits of your heart and voice to God? Run therefore to meet the rising sun so that when the day dawns it may find you ready”.
St Ambrose on Psalm 1181
Welcome to the latest newsletter from The Distant Spire
I hope you enjoy The Dawn Already Glows, from my album Transcendent Horizons. Recorded in my home studio, it has a combination of guitars, synthesiser, and features a solo cello. The mood is one of hope and anticipation for a bright future.
The beginning of a new day speaks powerfully to the sense of renewal and tender mercy of God; and that with each new day we can look ahead with renewed hope, anticipation and strength as we walk in the covering of His grace. We sometimes either forget, or our view of His love is distorted and we don’t see that God’s mercy is always available – the dawn already glows, not just in the morning. It was in my own reflection on this wonderful truth that I composed this piece of music.
What to expect in the next newsletter
This week’s music will be the last from the mini album Transcendent Horizons. I have been busy composing and producing new music, and hope to have a full album released in a few months. I have some new music and these will be part of the next few posts, a kind of pre-release if you will. I also plan to make available works in progress, rough mixes and demos and share my thoughts throughout the process. This will be a kind of journey for me and I would value your comments and feedback as I create and record, and write.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”.
Lamentations 3:22-232
The First Appearance
I have been reading An Anthology of Christian Verse3, a collection by various writers and compiled by Dom Francis Byrne OSB, a monk who lived at New Norcia Benedictine Monastery. To my delight I found that all of the writers are Australian, and many are local to Perth. I never knew there was such amazing Christian talent in my own backyard! I want to share a couple of poems from the collection that reflect the same beauty and sense of renewal that I have attempted to capture.
The following poem from the anthology provides a beautiful glimpse into what we can look forward to not just in this life, but also the next;
Flight Into Dawn by Ian Malcolm
A gilding shaft of sun
thrust through the aisle and lay
in blessing on my brow
and I awoke todayYet the puckered blanket
retreating there below
remained so army-grey
it seemed it did not know.Above, a cross of light,
suspended in the sun;
below, a pall of night:
two worlds that should be one.One day the earth’s retreat
into the dark will end,
and every knee will bow to see
the golden cross descend.
And another poem rich in imagery and language unique to the Australian landscape:
Dawn by Faye Davis
In a shake of the softest swirl of eiderdown-
soft swirls, in apricot and pearl-blue hue,
one Sunday, Broome removes her shroud,
and threads of iridescent silk
outline a cloud, reveal the sun’s
approach upon a still town.Across the low-tide sludge,
where Mangrove grew
and rock had spewed
from molten-mouth
a million years ago,
a lugger lies
spent, still.Only the gulls and a keen-eyed
child, who search excitement
in early washed-up spoil,
make movement on my
camera-still.
Where Else Can I Listen?
My music is available on various streaming platforms and I upload music regularly. I invite you to listen and add The Distant Spire to your favourite streaming platform playlist for devotional meditation music.
Starting with my first release Transcendent Horizons, I will be adding all of my devotional music for meditation to the playlist shown below. You can add it to your own account or follow me on Spotify here.
I recommend headphones or full range speakers both for listening quality and to provide some isolation from the noise and business so you can more easily enter into a quiet time with the Lord.
Some Additional Notes
As my priest reminded our RCIA4 group last Sunday, we’re at the pointy end of our journey into full communion with the Catholic Church. We are now in the third stage with is called the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. It takes place during Lent and is marked by three community celebrations called Scrutinies, which ask God for healing and forgiveness for the elect. They coincide with the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent.
On The Scrutinies
The following description is taken from the website The Catholic Company:
Though the word "scrutinize" sounds negative, even intimidating, its true meaning is simply "to see clearly or inspect closely." The Scrutinies are about seeing sin in its right aspect, and coming to understand the way we fall victim to it. They are also about the transformative healing possible for us through Christ, as He offers Himself to us.
Once we see sin for what it really is, and better understanding our own personal weaknesses, we can begin to exercise the freedom and liberation we have received through Jesus. With God's grace, we can turn away from the darkness of sin, reject disordered patterns, and step into the light. This is possible for us because we believe in the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, and we entrust ourselves to Him.
These are important foundational teachings for the Elect to understand and experience. During the three-week period of the Scrutinies, the Elect open the eyes of their souls, examine carefully how sin works in their lives, and make the deliberate choice to turn away from sin so they can step joyfully into the light of Christ at their Baptisms.
The Scrutinies are associated with three specific Gospel stories on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent:
Jesus encountering the Samaritan woman at the well, where He offers Himself as the Living Water,
Jesus healing the man born blind, where He gives Himself as Light of the World, and
Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, where He reveals Himself as the Resurrection and the Life.
I feel a deep gratitude and sense of awe before God as I go through the final stages of this journey, and sense the immense significance of celebrating the full sacraments as the Easter Vigil draws near.
God bless you and keep you,
D.A Sigley
You can help me with my motivation by subscribing to my newsletter, and sharing a link would be the nicest compliment you could give me - it says my work is worthy of not just your time but those that are important to you.
I highly value your comments and encouragement it means a lot so please do so if what you enjoy what you hear, if it resonates with you or helps you in any way.
You can read more about The Distant Spire and the concept behind it on my About Page.
Footnotes and Resources
The Dawn Already Glows Written, Recorded and Produced by Dale A Sigley ©2025
Homilies of Saint Ambrose on Psalm 118(119), translated by Ide Ni Riain. Halcyon Press, Dublin, 1998.
From the English Standard Version. All other bible quotes from Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition)
Byrne, F. An Anthology of Christian Verse. Rigby Publishers, 1983.
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
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