Patrick Comerford
As part of my spiritual reflections for Advent this year, I am looking at an appropriate hymn for Advent each morning. Today [21 December 2014] is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the readings in the Revised Common Lectionary are: II Samuel 7: 1-11, 16; The Canticle Magnificat (Luke 1: 46b-55) or Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26; Romans 16: 25-27; and Luke 1: 26-38.
Luke 1: 26-38
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the last purple candle is lit on the Advent, and this traditionally represents the Virgin Mary.
The following prayers at the Advent Wreath are provided in Common Worship for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
Blessed are you, sovereign Lord, merciful and gentle:
to you be praise and glory for ever.
Your light has shone in our darkened world
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary;
grant that we who have seen your glory
may daily be renewed in your image
and prepared like her for the coming of your Son,
who is the Lord and Saviour of all.
Blessed be God for ever.
God our Father,
the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary
that she was to be the mother of your Son.
Though Mary was afraid,
she responded to your call with joy.
Help us, whom you call to serve you,
to share like her in your great work
of bringing to our world your love and healing.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
the light who is coming into the world.
Amen.
Lord Jesus, light of the world,
blessed is Gabriel,who brought good news;
blessed is Mary, your mother and ours.
Bless your Church preparing for Christmas;
and bless us your children, who long for your coming.
Amen.
People of God: prepare!
God, above all, maker of all
is one with us in Christ.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
God, the mighty God,
bends down in love to earth.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
God with us, God beside us,
comes soon to the world he has made.
Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus!
We are God’s children,
we seek the coming Christ.
Maranatha!
Come,Lord Jesus!
So, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I have chosen as my Advent hymn ‘Gabriel’s message does away.’ This is Hymn No 4 in the New Church Hymnal, but is not included in the Irish Church Hymnal.
This is a translation by the Revd John Mason Neale (1818-1866) of Angelus emitter, a Latin hymn found in the Finnish collection Piae Cantiones (1582), and that may date from the 13th Century or earlier.
The Archangel Gabriel’s message to the Virgin Mary, and her subsequent “Yes,” mark the dawn of our redemption. This is a hymn about the triumph of Christ over Satan, and may also be used for the Annunciation (25 March), at Easter or for Christmas, as well as Advent.
This hymn was first translated from Latin into English by Neale for Carols for Christmas-Tide 1853, and was harmonised at that time by the Revd Thomas Helmore. Their original refrain was:
Therefore sing – Glory to the infant King!
However, most hymnals omit the original antiphon:
Beata es Maria quae credidisti:
perficientur in te quae dicta sunt tibi a Domino.
Alleluia.
O Mary, blessed art thou that didst believe
for there shall be a performance of those things which were told thee from the Lord.
Alleluia.
The Gate of Honour at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge ... Charles Wood, who was organist and fellow here, wrote the harmony for today’s hymn preferred in the ‘New English Hymnal’ (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)The version in New English Hymnal includes both a harmony by Charles Wood (1866-1926) and a choir version with a harmony by GR Woodward (1848-1934). The hymn has been harmonised by others, including Sir Richard Runciman Terry (1865-1938).
Charles Wood was born in Armagh in 1866 and studied composition under Charles Villiers Stanford before going on to study music in Cambridge. He became an organ scholar at Gonville and Caius College in 1889, became organist in 1891, and was elected a Fellow in 1894, the first fellow in music to be elected by a Cambridge college. He succeeded Stanford as Professor of Music in Cambridge in 1924, but died two years later in 1926.
His students included some of the great composers of the 20th century, including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells, Michael Tippett and Thomas Beecham.
Gabriel’s message does away translated by John Mason Neale
Gabriel’s message does away
Satan’s curse and Satan’s sway,
Out of darkness brings our Day:
So, behold,
All the gates of heaven unfold.
He that comes despised shall reign;
He that cannot die, be slain;
Death by death its death shall gain:
So, behold,
All the gates of heaven unfold.
Weakness shall the strong confound;
By the hands, in grave-clothes wound,
Adam’s chains shall be unbound:
So, behold,
All the gates of heaven unfold.
By the sword that was his own,
By that sword, and that alone,
Shall Goliath be o’erthrown:
So, behold,
All the gates of heaven unfold.
Art by art shall be assailed;
To the cross shall Life be nailed;
From the grave shall hope be hailed:
So, behold,
All the gates of heaven unfold.
Tomorrow: ‘When came in flesh the incarnate Word’ (NEH 17)
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