Faith

Friday, December 19, 2025Faith

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It is difficult to capture in words the beauty and emotions of these two weeks of prayer, intercession, fellowship, and artistry in word and song. I can say that I am very prepared for the Feast of Christmas!

Archbishop Richard G.
Henning

This past Saturday evening, I had the blessing of joining the parish of Holy Name in West Roxbury for an evening of prayer in song. A remarkable choir gathered to sing the first part of Handel's "Messiah," and visiting choir members from other parishes had the chance to join in for the chorus parts. Handel's "Messiah" is often sung during Advent and Christmas because of its use of Scripture passages that foretell the coming of the Messiah, and which tell of His glory and the deliverance of His people. While Handel's great work is perhaps most famous for the Hallelujah Chorus, my favorite moment is the sung proclamation of Isaiah's prophecy, "For unto us a child is born, a Son is given." (cf. 9:6). The moment is one in which we rejoice that the divine child born to Mary is a gift for us all.

On Sunday night, I joined the choir school and parish of St. Paul's in Cambridge to further experience the power of the music of Christmas. The hymns and carols of Advent and Christmas draw on Scripture, as well as poetry and creativity, to express the longings of the human heart, the faithfulness of God, and the grace of His Son. They sing of light in darkness and hope in despair. They draw us to the Word made flesh and reveal to us our Emmanuel, God With Us. It was a hope-filled and joyous experience of beauty and truth. A few days before, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we celebrated an evening of prayer and song with Matt Maher and Sarah Kroger (The Cathedral Tour) to mark the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the magnificent Cathedral of the Holy Cross. These events were treasure houses of faith and artistry, and they followed upon the nights and celebrations of the Novena to Guadalupe.
With the help of Bishop Barbosa and the Secretariat for Evangelization, we invoked Our Lady's intercession in East Boston, Hingham, Lynn, Haverhill, Marlborough, Salem, Brockton, Somerville, and the Cathedral. We were believers from many cultures and languages, but we were all "Gudalupanos," those who look to Mary, the Mother of the Lord, and our Mother, for her example as the first and best disciple and for her guidance and intercession at the heart of the family of the Church. With music and dance, mariachis and abundant roses, and with warmth and great food in the cold of winter, we rejoiced at Mary's witness to the beauty and dignity of every human person.
It is difficult to capture in words the beauty and emotions of these two weeks of prayer, intercession, fellowship, and artistry in word and song. I can say that I am very prepared for the Feast of Christmas! The Christmas celebration will start a little early for me as I will have the blessing of celebrating Holy Mass with the families and children in a pediatric hospital. I am so grateful to the St. Paul's Choir School, as they will send choristers to the hospital to lead us in the songs of Christmas -- songs that will bring light and hope to a time of fear and uncertainty. My hope is that the truth of Christ sung by children for children will be a powerful spiritual grace for all.
At the concert in Cambridge, the boys sang "Once in Royal David's City," and one of the verses about the Christ child really struck me after all of these days and nights of faith. They sang: "Day by day, like us he grew; He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles, like us He knew; and He feeleth for our sadness, and He shareth in our gladness."
When you gather for the Christmas feast in your parishes and homes, take some time before the Christmas creche to reflect upon this remarkable truth. You will see Mary offering the gift of her son, and Joseph, faithful and vigilant. You will see the Christ child in attire that points us forward to the nature of His death and the magnitude of His saving gift. You will see animals gathered around, reminding us that all creation finds its hope in Him. And by standing there, you become part of the story. He is God's love for you, and in Him, see your truest self, made in love, by love and for love. Wherever you are this Christmas, whatever your circumstances, rejoice, "For unto us a child is born."

- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston