ADVENT 2020 I-c

RickardoHolmes

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Aug 10, 2015
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Greetings

There is something great, almost decadent, about satellite radio. Besides being commercial free, the stations are set by artist or music type. Like most people, I have my presets, but Sirius allows one to travel across country and still hear the same station, something not offered with traditional radio. Of course, they started the Christmas channels a few days after Halloween, but now, in the Advent season, I am spending more time listening to them. They have several, ranging from religious to traditional, even country. I preset each one, and can , with a touch of a button change if a song I do not like as much starts playing. Yesterday, while driving, they played the late Frank Sinatra singing "I heard the bells on Christmas Day"
Listening to the smooth voice of Sinatra, I was taken aback by the lyrics, which we all know
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men.

A most beautiful song. Those who live near or have visited a cathedral at Christmas know the glorious and beautiful sounds that church bells make And whether or not you are a fan of Francis Albert, the song has a very good statement.

And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men

Strong point, and sadly true especially in 2020 OR so it might seem.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem which would become the lyrics in 1863. At the time, there was a devastating civil war going on, and hope, the common theme of the first week of advent, was on many people's minds. A war, which was expected by all parties to last a week, had drug into it's third year, with hundreds of thousands dead, more wounded and maimed, families torn apart and no end in sight. It seemed to the families of the missing loved ones that year that Hope was the only thing some people had. Sadly, that is still true today. A nation was divided, hatred and fighting were the norm, poverty was ravaging most of the nation, and Longfellow, living in his mansion in Cambridge Massachusetts may have been saved from the poverty and the violence if not for the fact that his son, Charles, had become severely wounded while serving in the war, to never be able to perform his duties again.

So hearing Bells ringing out at Christmas may have seemed some what incongruous to the situation at hand. which sadly, might apply today, as the war ravaging our nation is disease, the division is political, something which has hurt the very society in which we thrive otherwise.

But look now at the next stanza

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep (Peace on Earth, peace on Earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.

And in that Stanza, sums up all hope for humanity, no matter what the reason or the season, and in this case, it summarizes the entire message of Advent and hope....a hope framed in faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

We through our faith, see through the division, through the disease, through the opposition and into the Hope. And in this year, this season, we need a little more hope than usual. Advent reminds us that HOPE is the assurance that HELP is on the way. Advent is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, the time to prepare for the arrival of Christ's birth, but it is also a time to reflect on the triumphant arrival of CHRIST and the Hope in a better life Through Him. We must never cease now, more than ever, to love our neighbor as ourselves. And that means Everyone...including you ! Advent, the season of Love and Hope, is a perfect time for us to polish and hone our skills of loving our neighbors of showing tolerance, forgiveness and above all Love, (Faith, hope, Charity)

We have an opportunity to walk through the season with the Armor of God's Love and Grace, spreading hope and love to everyone , especially those who need it most. Let us hear then, bells ringing out a message that God is not Dead . And with faith,
practice the Love that God sends us, allowing Christ to shine through us, spreading the Peace, Goodwill, and becoming that message of Love and Peace.