By Timothy Johnston Special to the Intermountain Catholic I couldn’t believe it, but it was happening – "O Holy Night" gently resounded from the speakers in my car. It was 11:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and I just finished cleaning up after the last Mass at Marquette University. I sat, dumbfounded that Christmas music was already on the radio. I listened for a minute and began to wonder why the "holiday season" starts earlier and earlier each year. What is it about the season that captures the imagination? It’s been a tough year (or maybe even two or three) for many who have lost jobs or homes, lost family members, or just struggle to make ends meet. As a human and Christian family, we are hurting in many ways right now. A student suggested to me that we are in a hurry to celebrate Christmas to feel good about ourselves, to avoid the brokenness and suffering that we seem to endure. Is that true? Do we anticipate the holiday/Christmas season to help ease the suffering and reminders of our brokenness? Many people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of this time of year. We can be seduced by the emotional character of the season and not settle ourselves enough to sincerely observe the nature of the liturgical season. For me, music plays a crucial part in preparing for the celebration. Since I was very young, music accompanied me on my journey through each liturgical season. The poetic text, supported by the melody, often seized my sacramental imagination and challenged my relationship to Christ. I know not everyone is a musician, but I want to invite you to listen (and sing) a little more attentively this season and ask, "What is God stirring in my heart?" or "How is the Holy Spirit calling me to be prophetic?" or "What needs healing and/or celebrated in my life?" The Catholic community affirms the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi – the way we pray shapes what we believe and how we live – so it matters what we sing (or pray) and when we sing (or pray) it. Are you attentive to the poetry of the text we sing, especially during Advent? Unlike Christmas music, Advent music seems to be forgotten except for its use during the liturgy. However, the Christian churches have a rich tradition in hymnody and there is certainly not a dearth of Advent hymns. Advent hymns are rich with images that invite us to reflect on the theological themes of Advent – joyful waiting for the coming of Christ. For example, in "O Come, Divine Messiah!" these lines depict some common themes for Advent: 1. The world in silence waits the day when hope shall ring its triumph, and sadness flee away (v. 1). 2. Come break the captive fetters, redeem the long-lost fold. (v. 2). 3. For lowly will your cradle be: Though clothed in human weakness we shall your God-head see (v. 3). Or consider the refrain from Haugen’s "My Soul in Stillness Waits"– "For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits; truly my hope is in you" – referring to Psalm 62. These two songs are great examples of what our focus and prayer consist of during this season of waiting. We pine for the Lord because of all the noise of war, the violence of abuse and addiction, and the shadows in which we hide. As a redeemed people, our silent waiting is a prophetic witness to be alert to the coming of Christ. We have hope that we will be set free from the fetters that entrap us. We prepare our hearts to be filled with love poured forth from the God who was born for us in a lowly manger and who invites us to reveal that love to a hurried world. This season of Advent, stop and take a moment to sing. Allow these prophetic, challenging texts to take you on a journey that might just help you discover more deeply the Christ alive within you. Timothy Johnston is the former director of liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Currently he is the assistant director for liturgical programs at Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wisc.
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