Silent night, heilige nacht

Silent night

Holy night

All is calm, all is bright.

At 10:05 I walked the three blocks to the village church and stepped inside. I should have been early, but people knew better than I that tonight would be standing room only. I found a seat in the far back. I was in seat number 236 until a couple of women (later than I had been) came in and moved me to 235.

The music had already started. The choir and a brass group (French horns and trumpets?) were taking turns - almost a call and answer. The choir, like angels, in the loft and the brass group on the altar - alternating.

Only after Mass did I discover that there were two lofts above the church proper. The lower loft contained pews and the choir. The upper loft held the orchestra. The music was beautiful from my seat below them, but when I walked to the altar for communion, the sound was incredible. I don't really know how to describe it adequately - heavenly perhaps.

After the "tuning" the Mass started. That it was a high Mass was communicated by the altar servers lighting the tall candles on the farthest altar. Father sang the Mass. The orchestra and choir were magnificent and carried us through the services. The women on each side of me sang - pure sopranos - and I sang when I knew the words and answered the prayers in my language.

We were all there together, tourists, visitors, bedraggled travelers, and locals in their Sunday best - loden suits and coats and capes and hats). All were welcome and were there to welcome Christmas day.

I was reminded of my ancestors who worshiped in this language and of a similar evening 15 years ago when I sat in a church only 20 miles away from where I sat tonight. Then I was with my oldest child. We had been abandoned by the rest of our group and were waiting for Mass to begin. The pre-Mass organ music had been pretty awful  (I did not blame the others for bailing-out on us), but then we heard a violin, then other instruments tuning up. We became part of the choir with a full (and wonderful) orchestra above our heads playing from the first "Kyrie" to the last strains of Stille Nacht.We passed the light of peace candle-to-candle until the dark church was full of the flickering light.

Tonight the orchestra began with the violin tuning and then I heard the tympani.There was no one to share a look of surprise and pleasure. I had no eldest sitting with me tonight, to hold my hand or give me a kiss of peace or wish me a "Merry Christmas." But on this stille nacht, I felt so close to her and all my children.

Christmas can be like that.

I greeted the sopranos at midnight as services ended and the last notes of Silent Night filled the church. I thanked one of the violinists at the door. Then I walked the three blocks back to my temporary home listening to friends chatting on their way and the peal of the church bells welcoming this morning.

Merry Christmas.