To mark the 55th anniversary of Prayer for the Day, BBC Radio 4 Extra invited five of its regular contributors to shape a week of special Daily Service broadcasts. Each was asked to reflect on a given scripture passage and choose music that echoed its message. Among those invited was Fr Dermot Preston SJ, Vocations Director of the Jesuits in Britain and a familiar voice on the early-morning airwaves.

Fr Dermot’s broadcast, aired on 9 July 2025, took its theme from Ecclesiastes 3: “To everything there is a season.” He began by highlighting an unexpected interpreter of that passage: the American folk singer Pete Seeger:

“It’s not very often that a musician reaches for the Bible to harvest lyrics for a song. But Pete Seeger did that in 1959. And it was not an easy book he chose. Ecclesiastes, whose author can be both awkward and argumentative. But Seeger saw a gem in Chapter 3, which gave birth to a classic cry for peace.”

From there, Fr Dermot reflected on the “seasons of the heart,  the inner movements of joy, grief, consolation and longing that shape our lives just as much as the weather shapes the landscape:

“There are inner seasons as well, seasons of the heart, which are important to discern and name, as they can affect our lives more deeply than the outer seasons. They can help orientate or block our relationship with God, with human beings, and creation. The soul can experience a huge spectrum of emotions: grief, rapture, consolation, joy — and it is important that we sift these, as they can point us towards significant truths.”

Alongside Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn!, Fr Dermot chose Sinéad O’Connor’s haunting rendition of Rivers of Babylon, rooted in Psalm 137. Reflecting on her interpretation, he said:

“Sometimes it is important to touch into the dark places and acknowledge the anguish of the heart and not try to live in an artificial party time. Sinéad O'Connor did this beautifully, taking a disco version of Psalm 137 and transforming it back into the tone and texture of the original prayer.”

The final hymn, Tell Out, My Soul, played out the programme. It was a quiet closing note to a reflection that invited listeners to recognise and respond to the changing spiritual seasons within.

The Daily Service, though now broadcast on Radio 4 Extra, remains one of the BBC’s most enduring faith programmes. Its quiet simplicity continues to offer listeners a still point in the day — and Jesuits like Fr Dermot Preston SJ continue to contribute to these moments of reflection, offering words of consolation, encouragement, and spiritual depth to audiences across the country.

You can listen to the full episode here.