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December 18, 2016As Dahud and his fellow henchman walked angrily out of the stage after having to pay double a load of taxes, the crowd awaited the sentence of the next man in line, a shepherd who had once taken part in the schemes of the “bad shepherds.” The difference between him and the other two was that he had just encountered the newborn Messiah and entrusted to him his worries. In the last moment, Maruk (the once “bad shepherd”) is aided by a repentant innkeeper who earlier that day had denied a dwelling place to a poor family of Nazareth…The story of this shepherd was the backdrop for our annual Christmas Novena concert. As he struggled to find a solution to his problems, the choir, composed of about twenty brothers, joined him in his prayer for God’s help by singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel and O Come Divine Messiah. When the man was lost, I Wonder as I Wander accompanied his search and after heeding to good advice from the angels, he went to adore the Newborn. Here two brothers, accompanied by a piano and a violin, interpreted O Holy Night, to which some members of the audience followed, moved by the beauty of the Christmas mystery.
Fr David Daly, our rector, gave some words reflecting on the birth of our Savior, and then the choir, cheered on to a final song by the close-to-full auditorium, gave an encore piece that expressed the longing of the coming of the Lord. After the concert, the attendees joined us in the dining room for refreshments. There was a joyful atmosphere as we all celebrated, some time in advance, that great Christmas mystery.
