I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

The birth of a Savior is remembered and celebrated! 

But, the world is still the world.  And an old carol, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, gives voice to the angst.  Amidst the bells, ringing out Peace on Earth, the dark side of life appears, and gives pause….

And in despair I bowed my head:

There is no peace on earth,” I said,

For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.”[1]

Mocks the song.  Yes, sometimes it feels that way.  We sing of peace, and we hate, we gossip, we oppress, we kill.

Mocks the song, indeed.

And yet, Christmas is the season of hope.  We are not condemned to repeat our self-destructive behavior.  We can – in fact, we must – alter the course of destruction in our relationships and in our actions.

We can, and must, believe the words of the fourth verse:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

“God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on earth, good will to men.

Not only must we believe the words, we must ACT on them.  It is up to us, no one else, to ensure that the wrong shall fail, the right prevail.

With peace on earth, good will to men.

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[1][1][1] For the complete lyrics, click here.