Fireside Christmas verse

A few years ago, thanks to reading the books of author Joseph Pearce (whose biographies I heartily recommend!) I became familiar with the poetry of Father Robert Southwell, an English Jesuit. Father Southwell was put to death for his faith in the hysterically anti-Catholic times near the end of the 16th century. Although only 34 years old when martyred, he managed to pen some remarkable lines of verse. One that is particularly focused on Christmas is entitled, "New Prince, New Pomp," and I thought I would share it here.

Behold, a seely tender babe
in freezing winter night
in homely manger trembling lies;
Alas, a piteous sight!
The inns are full, no man will yield
This little pilgrim bed,
But forced he is with seely beasts
In crib to shroud his head.
Despise him not for lying there,
First, what he is enquire,
An orient pearl is often found
In depth of dirty mire.
Weigh not his crib, his wooden dish,
Nor beast that by him feed;
Weigh not his mother's poor attire
Nor Joseph's simple weed.
This stable is a prince's court,
This crib his chair of state,
The beasts are parcel of his pomp,
The wooden dish his plate.
The persons in that poor attire
His royal liveries wear;
The prince himself is come from heaven;
This pomp is prized there.
With Joy approach O Christian right,
Do homage to thy king;
And highly prize this humble pomp
Which he from heaven doth bring.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful poem and I wish each of you a very blessed and fulfilling Christmas season!

Advent time and the 12 days of Christmas

I find it amusing and not a little disturbing that we see very little visible evidence of Advent in our lives. Oh sure, when we're in church we see it - the wreath, the candles - but even within our parishes it seems that Advent is overwhelmed by the coming of Christmas. Obviously, our society focuses completely on the secular dimensions of Christmas and in promoting the virtues of commerce. Indeed, we are subjected to the annual ritual of assessing a "good'" Christmas or a "bad" Christmas based solely on the sales figures from the merchants!

Perhaps we could all benefit from a re-commitment to the spiritual richness that Advent can provide. I know I certainly could! Advent allows us, if we cooperate, to focus more intently on prayerful reflection. This is an opportunity to tune out the commercials and tune into God's word. As we sit on the cusp of the beautiful celebrations of Christmas eve and Christmas day, our appreciation for these wonderful events can only be deepened by a few more moments each day spent in preparing our hearts and minds and far fewer hours spent whirling around the overcrowded shopping centers.

An adage from old still applies today - maybe even moreso. This was apparently advice given to newlyweds but is wisdom for all of us - " Live simply, serve generously, care deeply and speak kindly."

Now, another curiosity bordering on peeve is this -a after all of the time spent in anticipating Christmas - my first Christmas catalogs seem to arrive in the Labor Day weekend mail! - many people get to December 26 and then - whoosh! Christmas is forgotten. I'm amused when I see folks in my town out there on December 26 pulling down all of their decorations! Christmas is a season! Such an important event deserves the fullness of celebration. We can show the world our commitment to faith by savoring the 12 days of Christmas with the joy the birth of our savior engenders.

An approach I've used for the past few years is to respond to anyone who wishes me, "happy holidays," with "Oh, which holiday is that?" I've gotten some interesting responses and not one of them has been negative! Just today I offered a hearty 'Merry Christmas" to the clerks at both my local grocery and local pharmacy and was rewarded with broad, beaming smiles and looks that seemed almost gratified, as if my comment released them to celebrate Christmas too! It's OK to say Christmas - it's our society also! Growing up in Western Pennsylvania my childhood memories were filled with the sights and sounds of "Christmas" everywhere while the expression "happy holidays" was definitely a distant second. Let's be bold and say with joy and passion -"Merry Christmas" to all!