Tag: Herod

A Canticle for Advent: Nor Say Nor Sing

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Rachel Weeping by Salvador Dali
Rachel Weeping by Salvador Dali

1. Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.
By, by, lully, lullay.

2. O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

3. Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.

4. Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
~traditional Coventry Carol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iVI2d3Y4WU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUFQoNW7NPs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si0Fu9OcCzY

“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not”
Jeremiah 31:15

This sad and somber lullaby foreshadows Jesus’ death, as it is sung by the mothers who lose their innocent sons to Herod’s murderous attempt to rid himself of a king born under a star.  As much as we do not want to think of death at Christmas, it happens still.  There are thousands around the world who will die in the coming few days, some reaching the end of a long life on earth, others tragically passing too soon and too young.

This lullaby is for the grief-stricken who can only listen and lament, nor say nor sing.

Advent Cries: The Shadow of Death

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Rachel weeping for children who are no more, sculptor Sondra Jonson
Rachel weeping for children who are no more, sculptor Sondra Jonson

A voice is heard in Ramah,
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.
Matthew 2:18 and Jeremiah 31:15

In mourning for the people of Newtown, Connecticut

There is no consolation for these families.
Their arms aching with emptiness tonight,
beds and pillows lying cold and unused,
dolls and stuffed animals awaiting all night hugs
that will never come again.

There can be no consolation;
only mourning and great weeping,
sobbing that wrings dry
every human cell,
leaving dust behind,
dust, only dust
which is beginning
and end.

He came to us
for times such as this,
born of
the dust of woman and
the breath of Spirit,
God who bent down to
lie in barn dust,
walk on roads of dust,
die and be laid to rest as dust
in order to conquer
such evil as this
that could horrify masses
and massacre innocents.

He became dust to be
like us
He began a mere speck in a womb
like us
so often too easily washed away
as unwanted.

His heart beat
like ours
breathing each breath
like ours
until a fearful fallen world
took His
and our breath
away.

He shines through
the shadows of death
to guide our stumbling uncertain feet.
His tender mercies flow freely
when there is no consolation
when there is no comfort.

He hears our cries
as He cried too.
He knows our tears
as He wept too.
He knows our mourning
as He mourned too.
He knows our dying
as He died too.

God wept
as this happened.
Evil comes not from God
yet humankind embraces it.
Sin is our choice
we made from the beginning,
the choice we continue to make.

Only God can glue together
what evil has shattered.
He just asks us to hand Him
the pieces of our broken hearts.

We will know His peace
when He comes
to bring us home,
our tears will finally be dried,
our cells no longer
just dust,
never only dust
as we are glued together
by the breath of God
forevermore.

the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.
Luke 1: 78-79

Wood sculpture of Rachel weeping, located at Our Lady of Guadelupe Abbey, Texas
Wood sculpture of Rachel weeping, located at Our Lady of Guadelupe Abbey, Texas
InTheNews06_01_2005b
Rachel weeping for the children who are no more
Sculptor Sondra Jonson