Christmas is just a month away. Yes, I’m excited. Who is not? For those who love Christ dearly, Christmas is an important season to look forward to. And for me, I’m looking forward to it as well – the grand celebration of my Saviour’s birth.
Caroling practice is in full blast in our parish now and more youths have joined in. I’m glad, because for the first few practices there were only 5 or 6 youths who came but their number have exceeded 15 last night. That is something to be thankful for.
This is usually the time when I enjoyed most, but not so this time.
Not that I’m getting older or growing less fond of caroling. I very much prefer the real Christmas carols which announce the birth of the Saviour, not the secular carols. But for the youth caroling which I’m helping out, they are singing mostly secular songs… “I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus”, “Jingle Bells”, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” etc. The worst part of all is that even though we held our practices in the church just in front of the Sanctuary, the youths were not behaving. They misused the choir’s microphones to make weird sound effects for the secular songs we were practicing, causing much unwanted noise.
I’m very unhappy with the situation. The church is God’s dwelling place, where He is present in the form of Bread kept in the Tabernacle. Yet, people ignored this and instead of making joyful streams of praises and to worship His name, they sang stupid secular songs with the banging of electric guitars and tambourines, as if Santa Claus is the reason for the season, transforming the church into a… nothing but a structure where one can scream, shout, play, and jam as loud as one likes.
I couldn’t sing last night. Especially the secular carols. I gazed into the eyes of Jesus on the Crucifix and heard my heart breaking. And I knew that it is very improper to hold caroling practice like this one in the church. It was a total disrespect to the Lord.
Is it just me, or what I’ve felt is actually right? I’m still thinking if I should ask the conductor to shift the practice to one of the empty rooms instead of in the church. I guess if they continue making so much unnecessary noise and yet refuse to practice in another room, I might have to quit.
Oh Lord, have mercy on us!
4 comments:
There is caroling at a local parish too during CCD time. They will be singing "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger". I don't sing secular songs.
My personal favorite is "O Come All Ye Faithful", in latin "Adeste Fideles"
MB,
"Silent Night" and "Away In A Manger" are still acceptable to me. At least they are talking about Christ's birth. I just hate it if there's "Jingle Bells", "Santa Claus" that has totally nothing to do with Christmas.
I don't have a favourite carol though. :)
Hope you have a blessed Advent!
God bless you
you are a woman after my own heart. I read your post from April just a moment ago while checking out my own blog for "empty tabernacle".
If you like to take a look at it feel free to do so and comment if you like. Although we may seem far apart we are on the same track.
God bless you again
I especially like Emanuel. Once that tune is sung at mass, which has been frequently, it rambles aroun din my crazy head for days. I love it and hum all day long.
Merry Christmas friend. Blessings too.
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