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What's the meaning behind 'On Eagle's Wings'? Biden honors late son Beau by recalling his favorite hymn

During his speech, Biden spoke about his son Beau Biden, the former attorney general of Delaware, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 46

President-elect Joe Biden made his first public appearance after being declared the winner of the 2020 US presidential elections. During his speech, Biden spoke about his son Beau Biden, the former attorney general of Delaware, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 46 from brain cancer. Biden, speaking of his late son Beau, referenced the classic and popular Catholic hymn 'On Eagle's Wings'. One Twitter user wrote, "'On eagle's wings, we embark on the work that God and history have called on us to do...with the love of country, thirst for justice, let us be a nation we know we can be." – Joe Biden, referencing a hymn important to him and his son, Beau."

Another user tweeted, "Speaking of faith, President-elect @JoeBiden quotes a common hymn and notes it was a favorite of his late son Beau: "And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn. Make you shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand." #Election2020"

A different user, quoting the hymn, said, "Okay, any other current/lapsed Catholics who cried when #PresidentElectBiden shared son Beau's favorite hymn? "And He will raise you up on eagle's wings / Bear you on the breath of dawn / Make you shine like the sun / And hold you in the palm of His Hand." One user, talking about Biden's speech, said, "'We stand at an inflection point,' says Biden in describing the moment leading up to his presidency. 'I believe in the possibilities of this country.' Biden speaks of an America that 'never leaves anyone behind.'"

Meaning Behind 'On Eagle's Wings'

A devotional hymn composed by Michael Joncas, the words of 'On Eagle's Wings' are based on Psalm 91, Book of Exodus 19, and Gospel of Matthew 13. It was written in either 1976 or 1979 and was recorded in 1979 with Douglas Hall as producer. 'On Eagle's Wings' has since become popular as a contemplative hymn at Catholic masses as well as at Protestant services of worship. It is often performed either at the beginning or the ending of a Roman Catholic funeral Mass.

Translated into numerous languages, Joncas wrote the song after he learned that Hall’s father had died of a heart attack. Even though Joncas didn’t meet Hall’s father, he wrote the song to console his friend. Talking about the hymn to America Magazine, Joncas said, "I knew this was a hard, hard experience in anybody’s life, and I just wanted to create something that would be both prayerful and then comforting." After Hall’s father’s wake, Joncas returned to his parents’ house in and composed the song on guitar. Talking about St. Louis Jesuits’ publisher, North American Liturgy Resources who offered Joncas an album deal, he said, "I think they had already tagged ‘On Eagle’s Wings' as the song that was going to have the most legs."

Speaking of the impact of the song, Joncas said, "The number of times people have come up and talked about the song touching them at really tough moments — I am pretty much just blown away by the experience that God can still use that 35 years, 40 years after its creation and still have it impact people's lives. But I don't think it's me. I really think it’s the fact that it’s Scripture, that the melody then allows this incredibly important scriptural text to hit the heart in a way that it wouldn't, maybe, if you were just reading it."