Sunday, December 16, 2012

It's beginning to look a lot like PC-Christmas

Last night's Mass was something I hadn't seen before.  Rather than have our regular 3rd Sunday of Advent readings, a group of kids put on the parish Christmas pageant peppered with traditional Christmas carols.  I have to admit they were pretty cute, especially the little sheep.

Service began with the typical "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."  What threw me off, which happens quite frequently, was a change in wording:

O come, O come Emmanuel
And random captive people of good will
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O people of good will.

I thought I understood it, until a later song started, "Come O Long Expected Jesus":

Come, O long expected Jesus
Born to set your people free
From our fears and sins release us
Free us from captivity

Israel's strength and consolation
You the hope of all the Earth
Dear desire of every nation
Come and save us by your birth.

You can imagine our confusion, living in a land where a significant number of the people are of Palestinian descent.  Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

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