I
offer this as a Christmas card to all my readers. Instead of copying and pasting a meme off the
internet, I want to post a picture of the Christmas decorated altar and
sanctuary at my parish St. Rita’s Catholic Church on Staten Island. I took this myself today.
I love the crèche at the foot of the altar and yellow and red poinsettias rising up to the tabernacle.
Here is also a lesser played Christmas Carol that has its roots as a Negro Spiritual, “Oh Jerusalem in the Morning.” Actually I think it’s a Negro Spiritual but I could not find any real information on the song.
Here
is a magnificent version where the spiritual has been modified with a version referred to
as “Baby Born Today” or sometimes referred to as “Mary and the Baby.” I must admit some of this information is speculative on
my part. There is so little information
on the internet on this carol. From the
Vocal Ensemble, Chanticleer, with a
special guest lead vocalist, Dawn Upshaw.
Absolutely beautiful! Where would American music be without our beloved African-American culture? They have added so much to it.
The
lyrics are also somewhat speculative and have been modified, but here are a
portion of them.
Mother Mary, what is the
matter?
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Father Joseph, what is
the matter?
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Baby born today
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
There's a baby born today
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Born in a stable
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
A stall was his cradle
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Wrapped in his swaddling
clothes
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Laying him in a manger
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Born in Bethlehem
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Jerusalem, Jerusalem
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Baby born today
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
Baby born today
Oh, Jerusalem in the
morning
I should add, the carol does get the facts of Jesus' birth wrong. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. But that doesn't matter.
Merry Christmas from our home to yours.
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