December 26, 2010 10:15 PM
Good King Wenceslas - a family tradition
Good King Wenceslas - DC Comics + Bing Crosby/Rosemary Clooney
It's late, but like everything else in our house this weekend, our internet has been unreliable. Here is the column I wrote for our parish bulletin for today:
The Day after Christmas - More to Celebrate!Each year, Tripp and I have a Christmas tradition of opening a picture book and singing this song to our children:
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain.""Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessingThough there's no reference to the Nativity, this Christmas Carol presents a perfect picture of how Christ's life impacts those who follow Him: King Wenceslas serves in a sacrificial way. He doesn't just give alms to the poor, but humbles himself - even faces adversity - to bring them warmth and sustenance. And when his page falters, he teaches him a spiritual truth, familiar to believers who've learned from experience that when we come to the end of our own strength, we can face any challenge when we allow God to lead us.
Though as evangelicals Tripp and I understood the meaning - which was why two iffy singers would humble ourselves to sing for our more talented children - as Catholics we've come to know "the rest of the story."
The feast of St. Stephen - mentioned in the first line - is December 26 - the day after Christmas. Good King Wenceslas was the King of Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) during the 10th century. Losing his father at the age of 13, Wenceslas was raised by his paternal grandmother while his mother assumed the throne, using her power to persecute Christians. That persecution ended when Wenceslas regained the throne and he was well known for truly living his faith. He was martyred following his assassination by his brother and he is the Patron Saint of the Czech Republic.
The Feast of Saint Stephen is also Boxing Day - a legal holiday - in Britain and elsewhere. It is a day when people remember to give to the poor and also those who serve, such as postal carriers, trash collectors, newspaper deliverers and housecleaners.
If this whets your appetite for more, add a picture book of Good King Wenceslas to your Christmas library, find some renditions on YouTube and incorporate the idea of Boxing Day into your family's traditions.
"It is in giving that we receive." St. Francis of Assisi
Posted in Family, Inspiration, Music | Permalink
Comments
Thank you so much for this, Barbara. This is a favorite song of mine. My brother who died at 41 love it too, and I can hear him singing it in his clear monasticly trained voice. The image of the saint's footprints holding the warmth of his charity is luminous. Someone told me, that St. Jose Marie Escriva was moved to become a priest after seeing the bare footprints of a monk in the snow. Let us translate these beautiful images into beautiful deeds.
Posted by: judy | December 27, 2010 12:45 PM
