He Comes in Silence

Softly, like the newly fallen snow, He comes.  In the stable, He is laid in the humble manger; but He longs to live in our hearts.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence is sung in churches on this, the most holy night of Christ’s birth.  It reappears during the Easter Vigil, when the body of Christ lies silent in the tomb.

The hymn was composed in the fourth century as an Offertory hymn in the Eastern rite Divine Liturgy of St. James.  The ancient chant is based on words from Habakkuk 2:20,

“Let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Tonight, He comes.  We pray.

Have a blessed Christmas.