Sunday, December 21, 2008

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people’s everlasting light,
Jesu, Redeemer, save us all,
And hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse
Should doom to death a universe,
Hast found the medicine, full of grace,
To save and heal a ruined race.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Laud, honor, might, and glory be
From age to age eternally.
I first heard this piece my Freshman year of college, when the student-led (and very amateur) choir tried to learn it. There were no more than ten of us, on a good night, and we did not have enough voices for all of the parts, but even obscured by our poor efforts, the music nearly brought me to tears. It is haunting, and, somehow, the notes and harmonies seem to declare the message as clearly as the words.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
So simple, and yet... endlessly complex, a deep mystery of the Christian life...