A Great Light

"A holy day has dawned up on us. Come, you nations, and adore the Lord.

For today a great light has come upon the earth."

The 16th-century composer Palestrina has the most marvelous setting of this text (Dies sanctificatus illuxit nobis) in which each voice in turn sings a great leap downward on the word descendit. (Come to think of it, the official English text, above, is rather anemic; how does "come upon" capture God's Great Condescension in becoming human?)

    There was no Palestrina at the Christmas Mass I attended in my parish yesterday evening. The young woman music director, who has an amazingly broad command of the standard, traditional hymn repertoire, presided over a motley array of instruments that looked and sounded like something out of a Thomas Hardy novel, and before the Mass the cantor, another young woman with a nice voice, treated us to a selection of religious classics.  Including the Pie Jesu from Lloyd-Webber's Requiem.  Oh well.

    It could have been worse. MUCH worse. I could have gone to the neighboring parish and been subjected to "music" by the Ray Repp Retro Duo Guitars. And our pastor, taking into account the presence of children as well as of many folks who don't normally show up at Mass, preached a grand Christmas version of his standard theme: God loves us more than it's possible to believe.

    Right, that's why we have that Great Light descending upon earth into each of our hearts -- if only we're open to it.

    And yes, the above photo was actually taken at dawn on Christmas morning, three years ago on Staten Island.

    May the Great Light descend on each of you today.