From the Pastor December 21/22

It is the season for the plenteous playing of Christmas carols. We hear them in all the stores, at local concerts, and on the radio. Even popular music performers sing them at concerts this time of year. Everyone knows the words to some of the most standard ones. Christmas carols never lose their popularity.

Like many other holiday traditions, music historians believe that singing this time of year is rooted in pagan or pre-Christian practices. Christmas comes on one of the darkest days of the year in our northern hemisphere, and this has long been the occasion for singing, dancing, and feasting as people celebrate the victory of light over darkness as the shortest days of the year are behind us. We need festive ways to brighten the often bleak days of mid-winter. 

Historians date the earliest Christmas carols to the 14th Century, but their evolution dates back much earlier. Christmas songs date back to the early days of the Church, and some were doctrinal. They helped to spread orthodox teaching about the Christian faith and fight heresy. One such carol is “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” This song, now considered a Christmas carol, was written as a poem by a Roman theologian, Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, for people to recite to learn orthodox theology and combat the Arian heresy. The poem, later set to music in about the 13th Century,  promoted the teachings of the Council of Nicaea that Christ is coeternal with the Father.

People also consider The Twelve Days of Christmas to be doctrinal. The song is an English children’s “memory-and-forfeits” game to train young children’s memories. Some historians believe English Catholics adapted it to teach children the precepts of the faith during the years when it was unlawful to practice Catholicism in England. 

Other Christmas carols like “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Morn” originate with the personal experiences of their writers. The words of  “O Little Town of Bethlehem” were a poem by Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest, who was inspired during a visit to the Holy Land in 1865. He later collaborated with his church organist, Lewis Redner, to put the poem to music. The unique thing about this hymn is that while here in the US, we sing it to Redner’s tune we call “St. Louis,” in England, Canada, Ireland, and other English-speaking countries, they sing it to an English melody known as “Forest Green” an English melody collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 

“I Heard the Bells On Christmas Morn” is another carol that started as a poem expressing the sentiments of its author. The poem, written by the famous American poet Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, expresses his depressing feelings that turn to joy when the writer considers the graciousness of God. Longfellow was at a low point when he wrote the poem. Recently, his wife died from burns, suffered in a freak accident, and his eldest son was wounded in a Civil War battle. The Union war effort was stalled, and he felt despair. But as he listened to the Christmas bells, his mood changed, and he became hopeful.

So many of our favorite Christmas carols have fascinating origins that tell us how the joy of contemplating the coming of Jesus Christ turned people’s sense of despair into hope and joy. As you hear the strains of Christmas music during these holidays, join in the singing. It will lift your spirits, remind you that Jesus is the reason for the season, and help you drive the bleak winter away. 

Hospitality is the Key

Warm personal interactions that make visitors feel noticed and valued are the key to making newcomers want to join the parish. Any year, Christmas offers a unique chance to welcome lapsed parishioners, cultural Catholics who attend church only on Christmas and Easter, and people with no religious background but seek a possible relationship with Jesus Christ to join our parish. That is especially true in 2024. This Christmas is our first in our renovated church, and we want to show it off. We want all the family at our house for Christmas.

This Christmas, we plan to offer our visitors layers of welcome. First, we want to greet them as they enter the parking lot, wish them Merry Christmas, and direct them to a parking space. Next, we plan to have friendly faces open the doors and usher them into the building. Hosts will be available inside the church, helping people find seats to make everyone comfortable.   

Even if you didn’t sign up for the hospitality ministry, you need to be welcoming this Christmas. The 4 p.m. Mass is always the most crowded, so maybe you can be welcoming by planning to attend the 6 p.m. Christmas Eve or 10 a.m. Christmas morning Mass. The Christmas morning Mass is excellent for families with young children. The excitement for Santa’s coming and opening presents is over, and they are less distracted. All parishioners can warmly greet visitors at Mass and avoid disparaging in any way those who seldom come to Mass. We must all do what we can to make this Christmas a warm and inviting experience for everyone. 

Holy Redeemer Holiday Masses

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 4 & 6 p.m.

Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, 10 a.m.

Solemnity of the Holy Family, December 28 & 29 Vigil 4 p.m. Morning 8 & 10 a.m.

Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, January 1 Vigil 4 p.m. Morning 10 a.m.

Advent Giving 

The Christmas Season is a time of giving. We encourage parishioners to donate to the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Giving Tree. Funds from this activity help the society support the needy of our parish. Let’s cover the whole tree with the names of our intentions this Advent.

Also, we hope parishioners are participating in the Reverse Advent Calendar. Each day, the calendar suggests a food or healthcare item you can contribute to the Chatham Food Pantry. These efforts bring comfort to those in need right in our backyard.