Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary:
One of the endearing favorites amongst the Christmas carols growing was “Silent Night, Holy Night.” We would sing it every Christmas when the family would gather together at that special time of year. Since the families were a mixture of Protestants and Catholics, we had a bridge that brought us together just through Christmas carols like “Silent Night”. Similarly, it brought about the Christmas Truce of 1914, in the trenches of World War I, where each side could share the commonality of a carol in their own language.
The story behind “silent Night” is just as touching. The small Tyrolean village in the Austrian Alps was preparing for the traditional Christmas Eve service when their organ stopped working. With the prospect of no music for the service, the local schoolmaster, Franz Xaver Gruber, wrote a tune that could be played on the guitar for the service. The local priest, Father Josef Mohr, wrote the lyrics to be sung that night during the service.
The enduring and endearing power of the song has made it a Christmas standard ever since that day in 1818. In 1859 it was translated into English with translations into other languages also occurring until it is now available in forty-four languages today.
So now is a good time to start today’s exploration… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2010 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 3357 Words ]
Quotations Related to WORSHIP
“America tends to worship the modest talent because it doesn’t put us in an uncomfortable position vis-a-vis the artist.”
— Carlisle Floyd
“Americans worship creativity the way they worship physical beauty – as a way of enjoying elitism without guilt: God did it.”
— Florence King
“An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer.”
— Sarah Ban Breathnach