{"id":17451,"date":"2013-12-19T05:45:48","date_gmt":"2013-12-19T10:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=17451"},"modified":"2013-12-18T15:58:14","modified_gmt":"2013-12-18T20:58:14","slug":"from-eucharistic-hymn-to-christmas-carol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2013\/12\/from-eucharistic-hymn-to-christmas-carol\/","title":{"rendered":"From eucharistic hymn to Christmas carol"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u201cLet all mortal flesh keep silence\u201d is a hymn about Holy Communion.\u00a0 But now it keeps showing up as a Christmas carol!\u00a0 That\u2019s how it\u2019s presented in Christmas concerts, holiday recordings, and on many of the renditions on Youtube.\u00a0 But it is \u201can ancient chant of Eucharistic devotion<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can see how it would shift over to the Christmas canon.\u00a0 It has a beautiful, otherworldly melody of the same sort associated with Christmas music.\u00a0 It talks about how \u201cChrist our God to earth descendeth\u201d and that He was \u201cborn of Mary.\u201d\u00a0 But the point is that \u201cHe will give to all the faithful\/His own self for heavenly food,\u201d \u201cin the body and the blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

But this is quite fitting to associate Holy Communion with Christmas and vice versa.\u00a0 What other Communion hymns could work as Christmas hymns?\u00a0 What other Christmas songs could work as Communion songs?<\/p>\n

\n


\nLet All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, from Cyberhymnal<\/a>. [the site also plays the music]
\nLet all mortal flesh keep silence,<\/p>\n

And with fear and trembling stand;
\nPonder nothing earthly minded,
\nFor with blessing in His hand,
\nChrist our God to earth descendeth,
\nOur full homage to demand.<\/p>\n

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
\nAs of old on earth He stood,
\nLord of lords, in human vesture,
\nIn the body and the blood;
\nHe will give to all the faithful
\nHis own self for heavenly food.<\/p>\n

Rank on rank the host of heaven
\nSpreads its vanguard on the way,
\nAs the Light of light descendeth
\nFrom the realms of endless day,
\nThat the powers of hell may vanish
\nAs the darkness clears away.<\/p>\n

At His feet the six wing\u00e8d seraph,
\nCherubim with sleepless eye,
\nVeil their faces to the presence,
\nAs with ceaseless voice they cry:
\nAlleluia, Alleluia
\nAlleluia, Lord Most High!<\/p>\n