I am writing this column on Friday, Dec. 19. Last evening, at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, where I live with senior priests, a Festival of Lessons and Carols was scheduled. I did not “feel” like attending. Yesterday was hectic, and by evening, I was quite exhausted. During the three Sunday homilies I gave on the first three Sundays of Advent, I emphasized how important it is that each of us prepare for the feast of Christmas. I stressed that the Church was doing everything possible during Advent to help us prepare for a special encounter, a special meeting with the risen Christ at the Christmas Eucharist.
During Advent, there were special vestments, special hymns, and special readings from Scripture. On all three Sundays of Advent, I stressed that Advent was the season of hope. I quoted Pope Francis’ claim that Christian hope does not disappoint and that the celebration of Christmas can be a life-transforming experience.
Though I did not “feel” like attending the festival, my conscience started working on me, and I concluded that after encouraging parishioners to prepare for Christmas, I could not be absent from what might be a beautiful, inspiring liturgical experience, so I went. Thank the Lord! The festival was something special, really magnificent. It was an invitation to encounter Christ in a special way.
I think the festival was an example of the Church universal at prayer. Everyone had a program, and following prayer was easy, even though Italian, Polish, Spanish, African, Latin, Kreyol, Tagalog, and Malayalam were spoken or sung at different points during the liturgy. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Raymond Chapetto presided at the festival.
As I write this column, I wish I could somehow reproduce the entire festival for readers of The Tablet. That is not possible. I will quote from one of the hymns that especially touched me.
The following words are from the hymn, which is entitled “The Work of Christmas,” which I had never heard prior to last evening:
When the song of the angels is stilled.
When the star in the sky is gone.
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, to heal the broken,
To feed the hungry. To release the pris’ner,
To rebuild the nations: To bring peace among brothers,
To make music from the heart.
All those who participated in presenting the festival gave us a wonderful gift. I cannot even imagine how many hours of planning, creativity, and rehearsal went into preparing for the festival. When I was a young priest, I was stationed with an exceptionally zealous older priest who, when a program seemed successful, would say something like, “Nothing happens by accident.” Meaning that people put in hours of work to help make it work. Anyone involved in any way with creating the festival gave the rest of us a wonderful Christmas gift. As I listened to some of the singing at the festival, I imagined that what I was hearing was created by many, many hours of rehearsal. What a wonderful gift those who were responsible for creating the festival gave to the rest of us. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that they were channels of God’s grace to the rest of us. I imagine that those presenting at the festival were aware that the evening was a marvelous success.
If I had the opportunity to speak to those involved in the presentation, I would try to call their attention to what they accomplished. I would compare and contrast what they created to putting on a play. Anyone who reads this column regularly knows that I think all the arts, theater, film, painting, music, and literature can be channels of God’s grace. But none of the arts can compare to what those who created the festival tried to accomplish. The entire festival was a prayer. Those presenting were striving to be channels of God’s grace. They were inviting us to enter into their prayer and to be nourished by their prayer. They were trying to be mediators of God’s love. We will have to wait for life beyond the grave to find out whether they succeeded, but I suspect they did. Personally, I found the evening an awesome experience.
An experience of what? I think it was, for me, an experience of God’s grace. I hope it was. I also hope it was for all who attended the festival. Because of the festival, my experience of Advent is different. Because of the festival, my experience of Christmas may be different.
Father Lauder is a philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica. His new book, “The Cosmic Love Story: God and Us,” is available on Amazon.com and at Barnes & Noble.