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December 4, 2023There is a beauty and blessing to Christmas music that enters anew into my soul each year as soon as the season of Advent begins. It summons within me a joyful longing that calls out to the Savior to pitch his tent within my heart once more. It announces itself softly in the holy words and moving melodies, building slowly to an unrestrained expectation of the joy to come. Like an evening snowfall that calls us to fireside reflection around the Christmas tree, the music of Christmas sends me inside my heart to ponder the great mystery of our redemption:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father. (John 1:14. RSV2-CE)
For Catholic men, Advent is a sacred call to contemplate the time when heaven joins with earth, when the vertical and the horizontal natures of our faith come together in the little baby of Bethlehem. Here, our earthy past is united to our glorious future. The incarnation is the greatest sign, the purest sacrament of our salvation, its grace falling down upon us and spreading out into our world as hope renewed. Such is the awe and wonder of the season that expresses itself so beautifully in poetry and song. Like the passage in John, the music of Christmas moves us beyond the words to see the power and presence of Christ, the Word Made Flesh.
The Poetry of Christmas
Nothing stirs my soul quite like the music of Christmas, the traditional hymns and joyful songs the sons and daughters of God have composed over the many years since the birth of our Lord. They do for me what no theological text could ever do. The words that pour forth from the pens of these inspired poets raise me up out of time and seat me in that sacred heavenly space where my soul is truly satisfied with the message and meaning of the incarnation.
There, my ordinary life gives way to unimaginable possibilities. I see myself through the eyes of the baby who looked out upon the plains of Bethlehem and cried tears so deep that heaven itself bent down to gaze in astonishment. Like the shepherds and the Magi, I am called to witness the holy child before me: sleeping in a manger, nursing at the breast of his young mother, and warmed by the breath of the animals on that cold and quiet first Christmas night. In the Christ child I see heaven’s perfect love flowing freely upon the earth:
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined. (Isaiah 9:2, RSV2-CE)
As Catholic men, we have been blessed with a deep and powerful theology that allows us to take the poetry of God’s holy word and the sacred songs of Christmas and become transformed in our surrender to such a sweet message of hope and peace. It calls us to the altar to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord, and in our reception of the Eucharist, to be carried to that eternal reality where the Son offers his glorified body to the Father as a ransom for our sins. The sacrifice made by the One who loved us enough to take on flesh and tabernacle in our midst, is made present to us once more. We see in the incarnation, the whole of salvation’s story fulfilled; and our hope is made pure in our anticipation of Christ’s coming and the life that he gives for the world.
The Sign of the Cross in the Word Mad Flesh
As I listen to the music of Christmas, the majesty of heaven descends from the throne room and walks upon the weary road of this world. The light of truth bursts forth like the dawn upon the darkness of sin and despair. Because of Christmas, I no longer look at the sacred word, or the bread and cup, or the cruel cross and see something ordinary and sentimental. Instead, I see the Son of Man invading our world, becoming our new Passover Lamb, giving himself to us to consume, and offering his life on that sacred tree of life where heaven finds satisfaction and earth is redeemed.
The tiny shoot of Jesse becomes the righteous branch that spreads out to all the earth as the fullness of the Godhead comes to dwell among men. To Bethlehem, the House of Bread, comes the Bread of Life, the One who will give his life for the whole of humanity. Jesus is the Savior who fills the height and depth, the length and breadth, of creation with his perfect, sacrificial love. In him, the promise of the Sabbath’s rest becomes a daily certainty that fills our hearts with unspeakable joy. He is God With Us:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el. (Isaiah 7:10, RSV2-CE)
The poetry of the prophets and the songs of Christmas contain a hidden, holy secret that speaks to us as men and carries us all the way to the cross where we are called to make our lives a living sacrifice to the One who gave his life for us. All through Advent, we are given the opportunity to take in this mystery and meditate on it intently as we humble ourselves and accept our place in this glorious story of salvation.
A Covenant of Coalescence
As I sit by my fire during this blessed time, listening to songs that celebrate the birth of Jesus, I am transformed by the salvation of Christ that came in the fullness of time. I can gaze upward to the heavenly realms, and yet look to the east and west to see a world still longing for what only Jesus can bring. In him, heaven and earth coalesce at the cross, and I see my place in God’s marvelous plan. I see too that I am called to join with my brothers in the faith in bringing the fullness of the incarnation to the ends of the earth as we share in the work of winning the world for Christ.
The Wonderful Counselor reveals his truth to our hearts and makes us wise. The Mighty God speaks his power into our actions and calls us to serve in love. Our Forever Father shows us the heart that bled upon that cross and draws us to the place where we surrender to our sin. The Prince of Peace fills us with contentment and sends us forth to bring harmony to the world. Through the poetry of God’s Word, Catholic men see what our senses fail to grasp.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, RSV2-CE)
Even as Catholic men take time to slow down, to seek God’s face, and to consider the incarnation, we are thrust forward into this broken world, compelled by the Holy Spirit to take the message of the God-Man to all those who are still searching for fulfillment and peace.
Prophecy and Profound Fulfillment
The Bible is the word of God. It is a divine love letter, from Genesis to Revelation. It is a sweet song of hope sung into our hearts. We see it in the sacrifices in the tabernacle that serve as a type of the perfect sacrifice to come. We hear it in the prophets calling out through time to the One who will fulfill all their hopes and dreams of redemption. And we feel it in the solemn silence between the Old Testament and the New, as humanity waits in the darkness for the One who will rescue us from our fallen state.
We read it the Gospels as God breaks into time like a holy hymn of praise, calling us to dance with joy in the darkness as the light of hope dawns in our lives. We hear it in the words of Mary as she rejoices in God’s grace and allows the Holy Spirit to overshadow her so that Christ may dwell among men. We see Jesus, the Word, the Suffering Servant, speaking and moving through this world with his profound purpose that culminates in his death on the cross, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven, from whence he shall come again to lead his children home. And we experience it in the letters and writings of the New Testament, pouring out a Spirit-filled message of hope that is ours to hold until the end.
Anticipation, but not Inaction
Catholic men should have an overpowering hunger for God’s word, for the sacraments, and for a ministry of words and actions that continues to sing out this message of hope to a hurting world, particularly to other men. We are called to be priests, offering the sacrifice of our lives as we serve others for the sake of the Kingdom. We are called too to be prophets, pointing the way to the Savior through the word that we hold near and dear in our hearts.
The music of Christmas can stir our hearts to treasure the Scriptures and to speak a word that will rouse the weary to conversion and renewal. The image of the gentle baby in the manger, the grace-filled mother’s humble submission to her call to be the one to bear the Holy One of God, the simple shepherds’ awe-filled praise of the infant in the manger, and the wise men’s searching sojourn to lay their gifts at the feet of the newborn King, all point forward to the Savior’s perfect outpouring of love on the cross. Let us take time each day of Advent to sit with this profound poetry and let it reform our hearts into the image of Christ, as we allow him to take up residence in our souls.~~~~~~~~~~
I would like to end this brief sharing with some poetry of my own, written in love to the Savior who has spoken into my heart and helped me to see the power of the incarnation that has linked heaven and earth in the person of Jesus. These new hymns speak of the promises of old fulfilled in Christ, and the response of heaven and earth to his coming to our world as the little baby of Bethlehem. May God bless you as you take time to listen to the music of Christmas and experience the joy of heaven coming down to earth for our redemption, revealed in the Christ child at Christmas.
Unto Us
Unto Us a Son is given,
To our Race a Child is born,
In Him all our sins forgiven,
Love fulfilled on Christmas morn.
Bethlehem of Judah’s numbers
Not among the least you be,
In you now your ruler slumbers,
Israel’s Shepherd God is He.
Chorus…
In the wilderness preparing,
Way made straight and hill brought low,
Broken reed His life repairing,
Seed now planted, soon to grow…
Our Messiah, King and brother,
Sinless Savior, One so mild,
Holy God alone, no other,
Born to us as lowly child.
Days are coming, branch increasing,
King from David’s royal line.
Righteous Judgment, never ceasing,
Sacred ever-living sign.
Holy Scepter rightly reigning,
Kingdom rule without an end.
Promised Land forever gaining,
Broken staff His law will mend.
.
Chorus…
Lo the Virgin, hour nearing,
Calls His name Emmanuel,
King of kings in flesh appearing,
Saves us from the pow’r of hell.
Chorus…
Unto Us a Son is given,
To our Race a Child is born,
In Him all our sins forgiven,
Love fulfilled on Christmas morn.
Hymn for the Holy Child
In the fullness of the ages,
Word of God in flesh was born,
God from God, the light of Heaven,
Came to earth on Christmas morn.
Hope for man, our sinless Savior,
Infant child at mother's breast,
Sleeping still in straw-filled manger,
Holy Lord and Sabbath's rest.
Shepherds in the wasteland watching,
First to hear the angel's call,
Hasten now to lowly stable,
To their knees in reverence fall.
Host of Heaven now united,
Mighty chorus, hymn of praise,
Yahweh’s presence shining brightly,
Blessings ‘till the End of Days.
Star shines brightly, Sacred Godhead,
Fills the sky with radiant light,
Perfect peace and Holy Power,
Bringing day to darkest night.
Wisemen seeking, search the heavens,
Follow star to House of Bread,
Bowing low to new King rising,
At His feet their gifts they spread.
Men rejoice for your salvation,
As our God breaks into time,
Fall before the child in worship,
Pure transcendent truth sublime.
Sing with joyful hearts surrendered,
Praise the babe on manger throne,
All creation in submission,
He is God and God alone!
