9th Day of Christmas - 2 Doctors, The Herald Angels & A Few Favorites From 2015

Nativity by Gerard David

Merry Christmas!  

Today is the 9^th Day of Christmas, and the Memorial of two Doctors of the Church, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen.  

It is also the first day of the Christmas Season that is not a Solemnity, but don’t let that get you down: I’ve included a rousing version of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” below.  After that, for those who are interested, is a selection of a few of my favorite posts from 2015 - who knows? You might find something interesting.  Oh, and have a Happy New Year!

2015 was my second year of bloggery.  In addition to Principium et Finis, I posted for a time earlier in the year to a second blog, Nisi Dominus, to which I resumed posting during the Christmas Season.  Below are nine posts from both blogs that I particularly enjoyed.  Hope you like them too.

1. No, it’s not the title to a Tina Turner song, but a discussion of the role the Latin language, Mater Linguarum, plays in Catholic life: “What’s Latin Got To Do With It?” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 10 Jan 2015

2. In which an atheist critique of the validity of scripture is shown to hold no water: “Aborigines, Materialists, and the Veracity of the Gospels” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 12 Feb 2015

3. The Christian burial of England’s king Richard III, 530 years after his death in battle, provides the occasion for a meditation on how one person’s failings can reverberate for generations: “Sins Of The Fathers . . . And Of Kings” [HERE] Nisi Dominus, 24 Mar 2015

4. In the Church we need to distinguish between politics and Politics: “Is The Church A Political Animal?” [HERE] Nisi Dominus, 15 Apr 2015

5. What does the manager of a baseball team know that “prominent Catholics” in San Francisco don’t? “Archbishop Cordileone, Catholic Teachers, and the ‘Torre Test’” [HERE] Nisi Dominus, 8 May 2015

6. Christian families of murder victims in Charleston, S.C., by turning to Christ and turning the other cheek, overcome Hate with Love: “Forgiveness Reveals The Power Of The Gospel” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 23 Jun 2015

7. Catholicism understands the power of images to inform . . . or deceive: “Christ Or Anti-Christ: Art And The Power Of The Imagination” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 1 Aug 2015

8. A recent opinion piece by Peter Steinfels reminds us that moving away from Truth isn’t “progress”: “Progressive Catholicism, The Spirit of Vatican II, and Humanae Vitae” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 26 Sep 2015

9. Materialists claim there’s no direct “evidence” for God - but it seems they believe in many other things for which there is, if anything, even less evidence. Maybe God’s not so “dark” a matter after all . . . “A Dark Matter: "Proving" God In A Materialist World” [HERE] Principium et Finis, 22 Oct 2015 (throwback to 30 Jan 2015)

Bach/Gounod Ave Maria - Solemnity of Mary (8th Day of Christmas)

Today, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, seems a good day for one of the beautiful musical treatments of the greatest of Marian Prayers, the Hail Mary (in Latin, Ave Maria).  Schubert's soaring composition is the best known of these; the setting known as the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria (see clip below), while perhaps less dramatic, is no less beautiful, and perhaps even more powerful.

The music was originally an improvisation on a Bach Prelude from The Well-Tempered Clavier by 19th Century French composer Charles Gounod.  Like Schubert's piece, it first appeared as a secular song; the Latin words to the Ave Maria were fitted to the music later on.  And like Schubert's piece, the connection with Mary's prayer has given the music a sort of immortality.  I invite you to enjoy the clip below, in which soprano Diana Damrau sings the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.  It's a fitting way to celebrate this feast of the Motherhood of Mary in the Season of Christmas.

(also, please see my post at Principium et Finis: "8th Day of Christmas - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God")

7th Day of Christmas - What is the Christmas Season, and Why Does It Matter?

Antique Angel tree-topper at Principium et Finis World Headquarters

   Happy 7th Day of Christmas!  What with all this talk about The Twelve Days of Christmas, one might get the impression that Christmas ends after Epiphany (traditional date January 6^th, the thirteenth day after Christmas Day itself).  In fact, the Church's official Christmas Season extends until the Baptism of The Lord, which is the Sunday after Epiphany, and in some places (specifically, Eastern Europe), the informal celebration continues until the Feast of the Presentation on February 2^nd.  During his pontificate, Pope St. John Paul II celebrated Christmas until the Presentation, and Pope Benedict XVI did the same; I haven't heard whether Pope Francis has followed suit (we do so in our home, in keeping with my Lovely Bride's Polish heritage . . . or, at least, that's our excuse).

     The entire Christmas Season, then, is like a series of ripples of decreasing intensity emanating from the Feast of the Nativity itself on December 25th . . . 

(To read the entire post, please go to Principium et Finis HERE) 

6th Day of Christmas - Do You Hear What I Hear?

Now here’s a treat.  I was looking for a song that involved the star of Bethlehem as a complement to my post on Principium et Finis, “Day 6 of Christmas: God Is Light.”  My first thought was of the song “Do You Hear What I Hear?”, because it’s first verse goes:

Said the night wind to the little lamb

Do you see what I see

Way up in the sky little lamb

Do you see what I see

A star, a star

Dancing in the night

With a tail as big as a kite

With a tail as big as a kite

As I was perusing the various renditions available on YouTube, I found a clip of none other than Bing Crosby singing this delightful Christmas song back in 1963.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!  The Season is still young!

5th Day of Christmas - Angels We Have Heard On High

Happy 5^th Day of Christmas!  For very many people, it was back to work in a serious way yesterdayday; after Christmas and the weekend, it was a Monday not so different from any other, and today . . . well, just another working Tuesday.  For the Christian, however, it’s still a holiday (that is, a Holy Day), a Solemnity, Tuesday in the Octave of Christmas.  Even if nobody else seems to notice, you have every reason to go about your business humming “Gloria in excelsis Deo!”  Here’s a Little Something to help you along.  Merry Christmas!

4th day of Christmas - Holy Innocents & Coventry Carol

Today, the 4th Day of Christmas, is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates the slaughter of all male children in Bethlehem under two years old by King Herod's soldiers.  Herod had learned from the Magi that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem, and feared that this Messiah would depose him.  As it happened, the Messiah (Jesus) escaped, and Herod went to eternal reward while Jesus was still an infant. You can read my post on the Holy Innocents (and Holy Innocence) HERE at Principium et Finis.

At one time, the story of the thesis poor murdered children inspired a large number of songs.  The best known today (the only one, in fact that is still regularly performed) is The "Coventry Carol" (lyrics below), dating from the 16th century.  The spare, hauntingly beautiful rendition in the clip below is performed by Valeria Mignaco and Alfonso Marin.

1. Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.
By, by, lully, lullay.

2. O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

3. Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.

4. Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child,
By by, lully lullay.

Feast of St. John The Evangelist (3rd Day of Christmas)

So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25-27)

 Merry 3^rd Day of Christmas!  The major feast today is the Solemnity of the Holy Family, but December 27th is also the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, author not only of one of the Gospels, but also three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. St. John has traditionally been represented by an eagle because he “soars” to greater heights, theologically speaking, than the other Evangelists.  He is also known as “The Beloved Disciple” because in his Gospel he often refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”.   

"The Crucifixion" by Rogier van der Weyden: St. John, Mary, and Jesus

    

     Many people have wondered over the centuries why John makes such a point of depicting himself as The Beloved Disciple.  On one level, of course, it must reflect his actual experience.  He mentions it frequently and pointedly enough, however, that it seems that there must be more to it.  And so there is: as Edward Sri explains [full article here]:

He represents the ideal disciple.  The beloved disciple is the one who is close to Jesus, leaning on his master’s breast at the last supper (John 13:25).  He is the one Apostle who remains with Jesus even in the face of Christ’s suffering and persecution – while the other Apostles fled, only the beloved disciple followed Jesus all the way to the cross (John 19:26).

     I want to focus on this last point, because so many people are suffering in various ways - in my home right now we are praying for a number of families who are experiencing illness, employment problems, divorce, and other hardships. Modern mental health professionals confirm the words that Charles Dickens put in the mouth of one of his characters in A Christmas Carol more than a century and a half ago: “it is at Christmastime that want is most keenly felt”.  This is a very hard time of year for our brothers and sisters who are in distress. I think the passage from John’s Gospel at the top of this post has a special import for those who find themselves standing at the Foot of The Cross in the midst of this festive season: all who join their suffering to His are his Beloved Disciples; the Mother of Jesus is your mother, and Christ your Brother suffers with you.  

May God's blessing be on you all this Christmas!


(See also "3rd Day of Christmas: The Feast of the Holy Family" at Principium et Finis)