Christmas Songs And Mary
/Mary And The Birth Of Jesus
What are all our Christmas songs about? We touched upon vernacular and religious songs of the season in another blog post Christmas Songs Across Time.
Christianity brings us the spirit of Christmas. It's the story of the birth of a child, the manifestation of spirit into mortal flesh. This birth of light is embodied through a mere mortal woman, Mary.
Artwork by Jason Jenicke
Mary's Song
What do our Christmas carols tell us about Mary, the earthly Mother of Jesus?
Come to find out, not much. Christmas songs across the years celebrate the birth of Jesus, but there are not many that sing the story from Mary's viewpoint.
In Michael Linton's article on this topic called Looking for Mary in Christmas Carols, he describes with charming humor:
“Both the “First Noel” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory” are remarkable for Mary’s invisibility.
In the nine verses of “Noel,” we have the economic condition of the shepherds (poor), the weather report (cold), the star (bright), the homeland of the wise men (far away), their mental condition (assured), the gifts (you know the list), the local livestock (ox and ass), the nature of divine creation (of naught), and, in a verse mercifully found in no hymnal, the doctrine of salvation through good works...
...there’s not even a hint of Mary. She’s simply not there.”
As for Mary's lack of visibility, Linton offers this theory:
“Our carols are primarily nineteenth and early twentieth-century Protestant inventions (although the tune dates from the Renaissance, the medieval-sounding text ‘What Child Is This’ was written in 1865), not a time that’s known for its deep Roman Catholic, Protestant cooperation and mutual affection.
Mary can’t be excised from the Christmas story completely, but in the carols she’s mentioned as little as possible, for fear of turning her into an object of cultic devotion, something most Protestants have accused Roman Catholics of doing for a fairly long time.
So Mary merits only passing mention in a few carols or, even better, no mention at all in most.”
Today, there are a few songs that view the miracle of the birth of Jesus through Mary's eyes:
Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) – by Amy Grant
Mary's hesitant questioning speaks to her human frailty. You can almost sense the trembling of her hand as she embarks on this journey. Her doubts give voice to her concerns that she will live up to the task before her.
“I am waiting in a silent prayer.
I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone,
must I walk this path alone?
Breath of Heaven, hold me together. Be forever near me.
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness.”
For The First Time – by Jason Bare
With his voice and music, Jason Bare paints a scene so we can envision when Mary and Joseph look upon their son, this birth of light, and hear his cries for the very first time.
“In a world so dark, heaven and earth would collide and would change who they are.
Could this be the same voice that brought us to life?
Unbelievable, the promise is this little child.
What a miracle.
The world has seen the Light for the first time.”
Mary, Did You Know? – by Clay Aiken
As Mary held her baby boy for the first time, could she have possibly guessed the future that was about to unfurl in front of him? Clay Aiken wonders out loud if Mary could have known the remarkable destiny of her child and his greater purpose.
“Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?”
Mary And The Radiant Child
The artwork by Sulamith Wulfing entitled Frohe Weihnachten portrays the radiant child of light held in Mary's heart.
The symbology is there for all of us to appreciate. It's the awakened child within our hearts, the birth of light into the darkness of this outer existence.
For any Christmas music, students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can bring a song's imagery to their meditations with use of TRT® hands-on. Accessing universal energy with TRT® lets you explore the deeper meaning behind the notes and the words.
What child is this who is awake? Awake in consciousness, even at our birth.
(The Radiance Technique® is not associated with any religion or belief system.
Please see Radiant Nursing – About for more details.)
