![]() ![]() We come together, and in the singing, surrounded by beautiful icons-windows into heaven, our prayers for peace rise up with the incense to the throne of God. Where we renew our Faith and our Hope by the grace of almighty God. Longfellow writes, “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, good will to men!’” Yet he says in the last verse that in the persistent peal of the bells, more loud and deep, he heard the words, “God is not dead nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men!”Ī century and a half later, the Christmas bells draw us back to our churches, Yet in a war entirely of their own making, six hundred thousand Americans died at the hands of each other. Hearing the bells from the churches, Longfellow wrote his painful poem asking, how can we sing “Peace on earth, good will to men!”, and how can we call Jesus “The Prince of Peace”? After all, the United States was almost entirely Christian, many of the settlers came expressly to practice their Christian faith without interference. Henry Longfellow was seated by the bed of his severely wounded son Charles, and did not know if his son would live. On Christmas Day, one hundred and fifty-eight years ago, war was raging here in the United States. We call Him the Prince of Peace because the most high God Himself, speaking through his prophet Isaiah told us, He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Under these skies, they are taking time, as we are, to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. This year at Christmas, a major part of our brothers and sisters in the Byzantine Catholic Church, or as we are called in Europe, the Greek Catholic Church, are living in a country at war with enemy missiles and war jets and the new horror-ĭeadly drones flying overhead. ![]() Bishop Kurt Burnette Christ is Born! Glorify Him! ![]()
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