On Christmas Day in 1864, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow listened to Christmas bells ring out the good news of peace on earth and goodwill to all.
However, Longfellow lacked the Christmas spirit of peace. He still suffered from the tragic loss of his wife Fanny in 1861.
Fanny was tragically burned to death when her flammable gauzy dress caught fire possibly from a candle.
Longfellow’s face was disfigured when he tried to extinguish the flames and save her.
Also, Charles, his son, had been recently severely wounded in the bloody, tragic Civil War.
Christmas poem
As Longfellow listened to the bells, he began to mentally make up a poem of despair about Christmas peace. Later this poem became a Christmas carol entitled “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day!”
The lyrics shared his journey from despair to hope and peace. One early stanza reads:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,“ I said;
“For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of peace on earth and good will to men”
Then hope unexpectedly changed Longfellow’s attitude of despair to Christmas peace. He wrote:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“(Our) God is not dead nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth good-will to men.”
In 2020, like Longfellow there may have been times when we needed to make the journey from darkness, discouragement, or near despair to Christmas peace and hope.
There has been the darkness of the coronavirus pandemic, isolation, rioting, looting, attacks on religious values and patriotism, loneliness, panic, widespread persecution of Christians and, more!
These may tempt us to live in fear with a “bah humbug” attitude towards Christmas peace.
For some, like Longfellow, Christmas may be the loneliest time of the year.
The empty plate and the empty chair remind them of a loved one no longer there.
The Christmas bells invite them and us to hope as they ring out the Good News that Jesus entered human history to offer us Heaven.
He also modeled for us how to live in peace as brothers and sisters.
A farewell gift
In John 14:27, peace was Jesus’ farewell gift to us. As his followers, we are called to continue his ministry by helping to bring about his kingdom of justice, love, and peace. Jesus taught us, his followers, to respond to violence by turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and forgiving our enemies.
In Matthew 26:52, Jesus said to one of his followers, “Put back your sword in its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”
“Shalom” is the Biblical word for peace. It is not just a cease-fire or absence of war. Rather shalom is harmony in our relationship with God and others.
Human history seems to indicate that achieving peace will be a long journey. A massive conversion of the human heart will be needed to even approach this ideal. But human survival may depend upon it.
In no. 168 of Pope St. John XXIII’s peace encyclical Pacem in Terris it says, “So magnificent, so exalted is this aim for peace that human resources alone, even though inspired by the most praiseworthy good will, cannot hope to achieve it. God Himself must come to man’s aid with His heavenly assistance if human society is to bear the closest possible resemblance to the kingdom of God.”
Celebrating peace
At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Jesus redeemed us from sin, which causes war and other violence, and taught us how to live peacefully. After his Ascension, he sent the Holy Spirit to help us to live a peaceful Christ-like life.
To do our part in bringing peace in our home, our work, and our neighborhood, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us to disarm our hearts of violence and transform us into God’s instruments of peace.
The Holy Spirit can help us eliminate the poverty, injustice, and deprivation of human rights that breed wars.
In this season of peace, we pray for soldiers. We also pray for the many innocent victims of war.
Then Jesus’ peace, which is beyond human understanding, can flow through us into our relationships with others.
The Holy Spirit can also motivate us to let our elected representatives know of our wish for peace. The Christmas season reminds us that one of the best presents that we can give to ourselves and others is the Christmas gift of peace.
May the Christmas bells toll peace on earth and good will for all of us as they ultimately did for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow!
May we enjoy a peaceful Christmas season and a safe happy New Year in 2021.
Fr. Donald Lange is a pastor emeritus in the Diocese of Madison.