I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 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!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1864—written during the American Civil War)
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 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!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1864—written during the American Civil War)
The world needs tolerance;
A lot more trust.
And kindness scattered,
Like Angel Dust.
We need quiet moments;
A lot more peace.
That wars may end
And hatreds cease.
We need caring friends;
Some hope, some mirth.
And a glimmer to guide us
Here on this earth.
We need joyful hearts;
Cures for disease.
And gentle reminders
To say "thank you" and "please".
We need to protect
The frog and the dove.
For the smallest of creatures
Were created through love.
We need to remember
Stray kittens; green trees.
For we are no greater
Or lesser than these.
How to begin
The changes we must?
By scattering kindesses,
~ Author Unknown
In barns on bitter nights,Ultimately ordinaryLest we claim our rights.Invisible to those who see,A veil to those who know,No miracle or mysteryDescends to us below;Just immanence immaculateAwake within our sleep,Salient as a centipedeOut strolling on a heap,Not strange enough to keep.
~ author unknow
[This post will grow throughout Christmas Eve]
Oh, I WISH Molly could talk if only for this one night! Imagine the wonderful conversation we'd have.I'm sure Alex would have a thing or two to mention. Or, in fact, you'd probably never know he could talk as, being a cat, he might just have nothing to say.I hope this Christmas brings you health and happiness for you and all your loved ones.God bless!
Maybe animals do talk to us and we just don't know how to listen. :-)Beautiful post. Thank you!
A very happy Christmas to you and Alex, Nick. Hope the day is wonderful.
I am not sure where the old country is.. but we did this growing up. Up until my parents divorced we would make 'decorations' out of seeds and fruit, and hang them on a pine tree in the bush. We would say thanks to the earth for granting us food and invite the animals to a winter feast. Now i know from research that this is more a pagan thing. But My parents were Catholic, so i figure it was just something my dad maybe did when he was a kid or saw it somewhere and decided to do with my brother and I. I have done this since with various friends and family, and seems to me that no matter the religion, evenryone who is present realised that we are all of one earth, and should respect it. Very good memories i have from this. Maerry Christmas to you and Alex Nick. :D
Hope you and Alex have a very nice holiday!
What a wonderful post, Nick. I hope that you and Alex have a truly beautiful Christmas.
Merry Christmas!~Oswegan
((((((((Saintly)))))))))) HAPPY CRIMBO to you and Alex..... fanks for making me smile and for being the wonderful dear man that you are...... be safe, be well, and enjoy......Mel XXX
Good to see you spreading the cheer!! :D
Merry Christmas, Nick and Alex!! May all your wishes for the new year come true and may peace and prosperity be a constant visitor!
Happy Christmas!!xxpinks
Nick, Merry Christmas, and I wish you and Alex good health and much happiness in the comming year.Hugs.
Wishing you peace and love this Christmas, Nick. Give Alex a hug from Buddy.
Peaceful, joyful,love-filled holidays to you, dear Santa.Lovely tale from WWI, btw. Enjoyed that immensely.Wendy
Merry Christmas, Alex and Nick.
That cat video was really cute. Nick, you and Angus have a good holiday.
u & alex hav a fun xmas
Christmas blessings to you and Alex, too.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Reverend Nick.
How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is giv'n! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His Heav'n. No ear may hear His coming, But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive Him still, The dear Christ enters in. - Phillips BrooksMERRY CHRISTMAS
Very nicely done, Rev Saint. May Alex, you human family, and you have a blessed Christmas.I know that you favor Celtic liturgies, so below I’m sharing the Celtic inspired benediction that we used responsively in tonight’s Christmas Eve Service.May the frangrance of His peaceSoar through your heart like the dove released:Hide in His wings, oh weary, distant soul,He’ll guide your spirit home.And may His love poured from on highFlow to the depths of your deepest sigh;Oh come and drink from the only living streamAnd on His shoulder lean. And may the hope that will not deceiveThrough every pain bring eternal ease;There is no night that can steal the promisesHis coming brings to us.So may His joy rush over you;Delight in the path He has called you to;May all your steps walk in Heaven’s endless lightBeyond this Christmas night.
Thank you again Nick...you always say the right things at the right moment. You give me peace when I am despairing of it. For this I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.I also love the celtic blessing above...the celts, they knew a thing or two about the language of peace, love and harmony.
Marry Christmas to you and Alex too!
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and Alex!
Oh, I WISH Molly could talk if only for this one night! Imagine the wonderful conversation we'd have.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Alex would have a thing or two to mention. Or, in fact, you'd probably never know he could talk as, being a cat, he might just have nothing to say.
I hope this Christmas brings you health and happiness for you and all your loved ones.
God bless!
Maybe animals do talk to us and we just don't know how to listen. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. Thank you!
A very happy Christmas to you and Alex, Nick. Hope the day is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where the old country is.. but we did this growing up. Up until my parents divorced we would make 'decorations' out of seeds and fruit, and hang them on a pine tree in the bush. We would say thanks to the earth for granting us food and invite the animals to a winter feast.
ReplyDeleteNow i know from research that this is more a pagan thing. But My parents were Catholic, so i figure it was just something my dad maybe did when he was a kid or saw it somewhere and decided to do with my brother and I.
I have done this since with various friends and family, and seems to me that no matter the religion, evenryone who is present realised that we are all of one earth, and should respect it. Very good memories i have from this.
Maerry Christmas to you and Alex Nick. :D
Hope you and Alex have a very nice holiday!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Nick. I hope that you and Alex have a truly beautiful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDelete~Oswegan
((((((((Saintly)))))))))) HAPPY CRIMBO to you and Alex..... fanks for making me smile and for being the wonderful dear man that you are...... be safe, be well, and enjoy......
ReplyDeleteMel XXX
Good to see you spreading the cheer!! :D
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Nick and Alex!! May all your wishes for the new year come true and may peace and prosperity be a constant visitor!
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas!!
ReplyDeletexx
pinks
Nick, Merry Christmas, and I wish you and Alex good health and much happiness in the comming year.
ReplyDeleteHugs.
Wishing you peace and love this Christmas, Nick. Give Alex a hug from Buddy.
ReplyDeletePeaceful, joyful,love-filled holidays to you, dear Santa.
ReplyDeleteLovely tale from WWI, btw. Enjoyed that immensely.
Wendy
Merry Christmas, Alex and Nick.
ReplyDeleteThat cat video was really cute. Nick, you and Angus have a good holiday.
ReplyDeleteu & alex hav a fun xmas
ReplyDeleteChristmas blessings to you and Alex, too.
ReplyDeleteMERRY CHRISTMAS, Reverend Nick.
ReplyDeleteHow silently, how silently,
ReplyDeleteThe wondrous gift is giv'n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His Heav'n.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.
- Phillips Brooks
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Very nicely done, Rev Saint. May Alex, you human family, and you have a blessed Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI know that you favor Celtic liturgies, so below I’m sharing the Celtic inspired benediction that we used responsively in tonight’s Christmas Eve Service.
May the frangrance of His peace
Soar through your heart like the dove released:
Hide in His wings, oh weary, distant soul,
He’ll guide your spirit home.
And may His love poured from on high
Flow to the depths of your deepest sigh;
Oh come and drink from the only living stream
And on His shoulder lean.
And may the hope that will not deceive
Through every pain bring eternal ease;
There is no night that can steal the promises
His coming brings to us.
So may His joy rush over you;
Delight in the path He has called you to;
May all your steps walk in Heaven’s endless light
Beyond this Christmas night.
Thank you again Nick...you always say the right things at the right moment. You give me peace when I am despairing of it. For this I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
ReplyDeleteI also love the celtic blessing above...the celts, they knew a thing or two about the language of peace, love and harmony.
Marry Christmas to you and Alex too!
ReplyDeleteA very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and Alex!
ReplyDelete