In his 1912 book The Four Men, the Anglo-French writer and historian Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) — onetime president of the Oxford Union; for four or five years, Member of Parliament for Salford; devoted Catholic; and author of, among many other things, the wonderful Cautionary Tales for Children (which includes such masterpieces as “Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion” and “Matilda, who told lies and was burnt to death”) — included this theologically significant poem:
Noël! Noël! Noël! Noël!
While all the bells in Arundel ring.
That sentiment — understandable as I sometimes find it, in certain moods — is not entirely congruent with the message that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is attempting to spread at Christmastime.
Day Eight of the Church’s “Light the World” campaign takes this New Testament verse as its theme:
Please have a look. And share it, or something related to it.
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I’ve always loved Gustav Holst’s beautiful setting of Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter.” Listen, here, to choir and congregation sharing the wonder of the piece and its message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRobryliBLQ
I do, however, regard the line “If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part” as quite weak. I just can’t think of a good way to change it that would preserve the overall high quality of that final stanza.
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In its 281st consecutive week of regular Friday publication — having been founded just 282.5 weeks ago — Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture calls attention to and reviews a landmark publication from an allied sister organization:
“Heralding a New Age of Book of Mormon Scholarship”
If you have enjoyed or been benefited by the efforts of the Interpreter Foundation, please consider even a modest donation to support its continued work:
“Donating to The Interpreter Foundation”
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