A voice spreads among the night silence:
Rise, shepherds, God is born to you...
I come to you today, My friends, with a holy cant – a joyful carol and a pastoral full of grateful words. For, behold, the time has come again for us to remember with joy the happy people of the Birth of the Lamb, who shall take distant our sins, of God's mercy and deliver us men. He who is the Shafaer of Peace, the origin of Love, and our only hope that the snares of the demon will be avoided, and we will escape from this earthly matt to eternal parade of happiness.
You know that story? perceive to what St. Luke the Evangelist wrote (Lk 2:8-14):
8 In the same area, shepherds were in the field and kept night watch over their flock. 9 And the angel of the LORD stood with them, and the glory of the LORD enlightened them all around, so that they were very afraid. 10 But the angel said to them: "Do not be afraid. Behold, I declare to you the large joy which will be the share of the full nation: 11 present in the city of David a Savior was born to you, the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you, "You will find the baby wrapped in diapers and lying in a manger." 13 And abruptly a multitude of heavenly hosts joined the angel, which worshipped God with the words: 14 "Glory be to God in heights, and on earth peace to men of His pleasure."
Describing the golden - haired angels worshiping God, St. Luke, as may be assumed, first imagined angelic songs, singing on the day of the birth of Jesus Christ. And those whom they believed were better or worse imitated by the heavenly hosts Gloria in ex celesis Deo Singing. As time passed, the song besides reached for folk devotion. The inspiration was besides the apocryphas and theatre – since in 1223 in Italian Greccio St.
The day of joy has come, the time of the wedding has come. Brothers were called from many localities. Men prepared candles and torches to illuminate the night, which a radiant star erstwhile lit up all the days and years. Finally, the Holy 1 of God came and found everything ready, and he saw and rejoiced. Namely, the manger was cooked, hay was brought, ox and donkey were brought. Simplicity was celebrated, poorness was poured out, humility was emphasized, and so Greccio became a fresh Bethlehem. The night became light as day, delightful to humans and animals. Many people have arrived, enjoying a fresh way of keeping a fresh secret. The voices spread throughout the forest, and the rocks echoed the cheering cry. Then Francis preached a sermon to the people standing around, sweetly speaking about the birth of the mediocre King and the tiny town of Bethlehem. ...
The Invaluable Zygmunt Glomer in his 3rd volume Old Poland Encyclopedia writes, among others:
In Poland, erstwhile the future Gods came, there was no end to the various games, responsibilities, gifts, dressing up as Jews, gypsies, bears, goats, tours, going to houses with singing carols, with a live wolf, and in the absence of 1 with a boy dressed in wolf's skin. From Christmas to the 3 Kings, the evenings were celebrated, which the people in many areas call “holy”. Throughout these evenings, carols were sung at the birth of Christ the Lord, simple, naive, beautiful. They walked with a nativity scene or nativity scene, with “star and t. d. So far in many parts, youths disguised as Herod, his captain, soldiers, death and the devil, depict a scene from the Scriptures. The most popular of the Christmas carol “In the manger lies, who runs...” was utilized in the past and so far it is sung on a polonaise note, played in court of Polish kings in the 17th century.
To Z. Gloger I send the curious people, due to the fact that it is always worth reading – for the encouragement of hearts. Ba, study.
The excellent executive of the carol that was recorded for Free Europe radio, and most likely besides for the BBC, was, present in the Homeland, unfortunately alternatively forgotten and inactive large memories of its extraordinary talents Tola Korian (owned by Antonina Terlecka, born 23 January 1911 in Poznań, born 3 March 1983 in London), a student of Yvette Guilbert, a Polish large actor and singer. She was besides endowed with an extraordinary gift of multilingualism (she was fluent in respective languages). A performance of carols and pastors in her performance (the recording of which I could hear) is simply a delightfully beautiful performance of these noble works of the birth of God, sung in Polish, English, Italian, American, French, Spanish etc. The multilingualism of the works created an extraordinary joyous seriousness and temper of the concert, awakening awareness of the universality of the message told by the artist of history, as well as the universality of the destiny of all man who has since faced the top event in his history, which was the incarnation of God for the salvation of the world. I would like to have the chance to prepare akin global and Polish carols.
Christmas for Poles around the planet always has a peculiar dimension and climate. It is created by a festive Christmas dinner with a holy wafer, delicious, peculiar for this joyful occasion prepared dishes, singing beautiful carols, and at night from 24 to 25 December participation in the celebrated at midnight solemn Mass called the Shepherd. On Christmas days a pleasant temper dolce far niente – blissful laziness, interrupted by a variety of vacation fets — breakfasts passing into dinner, and sometimes (if the weather tempts) erstwhile with sannas and present walks with children in the snow or visits and household games. And after the holidays, as always, the last day of the year, the day of ancient Pope Saint fresh Year's Eve I, the patron saint of pets (!), erstwhile the “sylvest party” is held.
Since carolers always want their hosts wishes, I would like to want the creators of the site first Solidars 2010 and all this noble organization, so that the good God may give you His grace for Christmas and for the coming year. So that you do not lose your amus, or your religion in the sense of your sometimes hard mission among us, Poles, so that you yet have more good ideas and a increasing group of friends, which will give us strength.
And to us, readers of these various auspicious and possibly more frequently unfavorable media reports, which we can read on your website, watch, hear what I would want for?
Well, it all points to a large deal of work in order to effectively influence the reality around us. So I want us, my fellow countrymen, the strength to do this work, the wisdom to admit the actual meaning of facts and perseverance in combating our own pride. And yet a real sense of humor – it is worth having always.
Finally – as Paul the Apostle said (1 Thessalonians 5:5-28), Blessed John Paul II, the large Spirit of the Pole who gave us so much, dared and enlightened us, and outlined so large a task before us – that I fear whether we have life and strength adequate to accommodate his teaching in our minds and, of course, to turn into acts his gift--thank God, the spirit do not quench! Amen.
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Editorial
http://www.polskieradio.pl/68/787/Tag/86521
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Photo: "Christmas" stained glass - WNMP church in Żary; http://www.panoramio.com/photo/64977385
