WNYCatholic File - The Sagun family of Cheektowaga comes together to light their Advent wreath.

Even a quick survey of international Christmas rituals converges around a few points: light, a newborn, food and song. Each of these symbols evoke “comfort and joy” to such a degree that McDonalds marketing attributes the same effect to its 2011 holiday hot chocolate and coffee specials.

The ancient Gregorian Advent hymn, “Creator of the Stars of Night,” sings in the increase of night lights. This night sky phenomenon inspires the Germanic custom of the Advent wreath, whose flames multiply week-by-week, as does darkness. The illumined headdress wreath of the Nordic celebration of breakfast on St. Lucia’s Feast, the welcome candle of Irish Catholic roots, the nightly incremental lighting of the Kwanza’s harvest candelabra and its Jewish counterpart the Chanukah Menorah, all mimic the cosmic play of lighting subtle lights as darkness increases.

The most celebrated holiday season night lighting is the U.S. custom of indoor and outdoor electric lines, figures, twinkle, colored, and white lights. Each and every bulb playfully reflects and tries to grasp celestial wonder. At the other end of this spectrum is the youngest child of Polish families, whose sighting of the first star of Christmas Eve announces the holy birth and gathers the family to break angelic bread: the Christmas wafer.

The newborn Jesus, as many-an-infant child, gathers people around to come, see, and celebrate. No single symbol accomplishes this human gathering around the Bambino better than Italian presepe, inspired by the grand saint of simple wonders, Francis of Assisi. This entire manger scene full of townsfolk includes carpenters, hucksters, angels, bakers, fishermen, geese, rabbits, cattle, a sleepy shepherd, a melancholy courting couple, and another arguing in the street as they all announce that this heaven has come to our town. New York City’s Metropolitan Museum in the “Angel Tree” annually fetes this meeting, decked with heirloom, winged-spirit figurines descending on a bustling Bethlehem, for a single, miraculous second taking our breath away. 

Puerto Rican prayers and a Filipino child’s hope centers on the powerful intercession of the Divino or Santo Niňo, image of a child who feeds the prisoner. Scholars tell us that Mary’s placing her divine Child in a feedbox manger signaled in Luke’s Gospel a foretaste of the bread of life, born in the city of bread – Bethlehem. This image releases a watershed of Christmas fare from the annual myriad of cookies, to Lousiana’s “Kingcake” and England’s lamb’s-wool clad wassail bowl. Heaven’s Child, an earthly outcast, for centuries nourishes a joy-filled festival, most mystically at the supper of the Lamb of God – Midnight Mass.

Earth meets heaven, proclaims the Ukrainian carol. How could this love-feast not inspire poetry and then not be put to music? One may argue if “Silent Night,” the herald angel of all carols, brought to light from a broken organ’s plight, is not the most popular international song of all time. Singing at Christmas even has its own proper name, caroling. Everyone tries a tune, if at least not on iTunes then on a Christmas television special. It seems at Christmas everywhere that amidst the hustle and all the rush, the human heart still reaches out to heaven to touch the quiet power of God nestled in the hands of a baby. 

Father Krysa is the director of the Office of Worship.

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