The Spiritual ‘Rich Fare’ of Traditional Christmas Carols

Dr. Christine Wood, Director, Office of Evangelisation & Catechesis, Archdiocese of Hobart

As we approach Christmas it’s worth introducing our RCIA catechumens and candidates to the spiritual heritage – or ‘rich fare’ – of the Church’s traditional Christmas carols. Throughout the year it’s recommended to immerse them in the great treasury of liturgical hymns as it teaches them how to respond to God through prayer. To praise God in song provides an extra level of meaning insofar as more of our being is engaged in the activity. With this said, below are some short reflections on the doctrinal wealth found in some of our traditional Christmas carols.

Good King Wenceslas is an English carol that speaks of the Bohemian King Wenceslas who bravely set out to give alms to the poor on the Feast of St. Stephen (December 26) and along the way he encouraged his page to follow in his footsteps as he continued his spiritual works of mercy, lest he perish in the bitter cold and darkness. St. Stephen was one of seven men ordained by the Apostles to distribute food and charitable aid to the poorer members of the Christian Church (Acts 6:1-6). Wenceslas is praised for bearing testimony to the Christian tradition of almsgiving immediately after Christmas, thus sharing the blessings he has received from Christ with those less fortunate. The carol encourages us spiritually to follow the path that the good saints trod in order to attain salvation even if this requires enduring martyrdom as in the case of Ss. Stephen and Wenceslas. It’s worth reflecting on the final verses of the carol, beginning with the page’s words to the King, and the King’s reply:

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

‘Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how;
I can go no longer.’

 ‘Mark my footsteps, good my page;
Tread thou in them boldly:
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly.’

In his master’s steps he trod,
Where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
Shall yourselves find blessing.

The much loved traditional English Christmas carol, The First Noël (or Nowell) was originally a Cornish carol from the 13^th or 14^th century ─ Noël is French for ‘Christmas’. It relates the story of the angel announcing the birth of the Christ-child to the shepherds on the hills around Bethlehem in Luke’s Gospel (Lk 2:10-11). It’s interesting that this amazing Good News is first announced to the poor, those who would have been considered unworthy of coming before an earthly king. And yet, they are the first to appear before the newborn King of Heaven and Earth. The carol also speaks of the star that guided the Wise Men to the holy family in Bethlehem: Jesus Christ begins to draw the Gentiles to himself from his very first appearance among us (Matt 2:1-11). The Wise Men brought gifts of great value to Jesus. What gift will you bring?

The lovely English carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, harks back to the traditional festivity of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas,’ beginning on Christmas day itself and ending with the Feast of the Epiphany (6^th January), the coming of the Magi. Today, the Christmas season continues until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, typically the Sunday after the Epiphany in Australia. The origins of this carol are unclear but it seems it was first published in England in 1780. The meaning of each of the gifts is much debated, with some proposing a symbolic Christian meaning for each. There is a total of 364 gifts, which is the number of days of the year plus Christmas. The song begins: “On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree.” Subsequent verses repeat this notion of gifts sent by “my true love.” One wonders if “my true love” might refer to Christ himself, who is the giver of every gift throughout the year.

Joy to the world, the beautiful hymn of praise to Jesus Christ the King, is drawn from the ‘enthronement’ Psalms 96 and 98 in which ancient Israel is commanded to make God’s glory known throughout the world. Not only all the nations, but all of creation joins joyfully in receiving this good news of salvation. Following Christian tradition, hymnist Isaac Watts, interprets these Psalms as referring to the coming of Christ the Lord who triumphs over sin and death to bring salvation to fallen humanity. The connection with the Psalms reminds us of the urgency to make Christ known throughout the world that salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Below are seen the parallels between the Psalms and the hymn.

The words of the traditional carol, Hark the herald Angels Sing, were composed by Charles Wesley, while the tune was composed by Felix Mendelssohn. This 18^th century hymn situates us in the centre of the Christmas event: the angels are singing glory to the Christ-child. They declare this event to be what brings peace to the world through reconciling humanity to God. The hymn regales Christ with Messianic titles like “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6) and “Sun of Righteousness” (Mal 4:2) because he is “the incarnate Deity” (God made man; cf. Jn 1:1, 14). Christ was born to bring us to a “second” birth, and to “raise” us up from sin that we “may die” no more. The joy of Christmas is only truly perceived when we consider what Christ came to save us from, and the gifts he desires to bestow upon us.

Photo by Walter Chávez on Unsplash

It seems that the popular Christmas carol, Away in a Manger, dates to the late-19^th century North America. It has the characteristics of a Christian lullaby as the singer gently gazes upon the sleeping baby Jesus. The popular depiction of Jesus lying in a stable surrounded by farm animals was given to us by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13^th century. Perhaps he was aware that the book of Isaiah begins with a passage stating, “The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master’s crib” (Isa 1:3). Indeed, creation does know its Lord and Master and gives praise to him. Perhaps as we also draw near to the Babe of Bethlehem we might ask him to “fit us for heaven to be with him forever.”