FROM THE RECTOR: CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY

The Draft Proposed Book of Common Prayer and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church (1976) provided three possible gospel lessons for the Second Sunday after Christmas Day. There had been no proper (that is, collect and lessons) for this Sunday in the medieval missals “though it occurs four years out of every seven” (Shepherd, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary [1950], 106-07). In 1928, the story of the return of the Holy Family from Egypt was appointed (Ibid.).

The Episcopal Church kept the 1979 Prayer Book proper for the Second Sunday after Christmas Day when it adopted the Revised Common Lectionary in 2006. The first option for this Sunday is the story of the dreams that guide the Magi, not to return to Herod, but to return home another way and Joseph, first, to take his family to Egypt and, finally, to return not to Bethlehem but to make their home in Nazareth (Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23). The second option is the gospel for the Presentation of the Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22–40)—the gospel for the feast on February 2. The third is the gospel in the Christian West for the Epiphany, the Journey of the Magi to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1–12).

Roman Catholics since 1969, where Epiphany is not a “holy day of obligation,” Epiphany is celebrated in place of the Second Sunday after Christmas Day. Many Episcopal parishes now celebrate Epiphany on this Sunday. I’m glad that we have the option to keep the twelve days of Christmas as “Christmastide”—to use a word introduced to the American Prayer Book in 1928 and not used in the 1979 book. For us, Epiphany begins with Evening Prayer on January 5 and concludes with Evening Prayer on January 6. Of course, this “Principal Feast” includes Morning Prayer and the Holy Eucharist. Because Epiphany is not a public holiday and because of the pandemic, this year we will have a said Mass with a cantor on Wednesday, January 6, at 12:10 PM. The service will be live-streamed. The Magi will have made their way to the crèche in Saint Joseph’s Chapel.

On Sunday, January 3, we include the omitted verses that explain the need for the dreams that would bring the Holy Family first to Egypt and then to Bethlehem: the killing of the youngest boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16–18). I do not understand the omission. It’s not as if the reason is a great secret. It’s important to the story Matthew tells about Jesus. The Magi understand the glory that appears in the heavens. In Jerusalem, a ruler of the Jews will plan to kill their king. The shadow of the cross had already fallen on the infant in Matthew. God’s intervention shows that a human king cannot frustrate the intention of the Almighty.

The same holds true in Luke, where the future danger will be recognized when the infant Jesus is presented in the temple. The reality and tragedy of death in this life becomes a possibility when a child is conceived. There is no hiding from it. All of life’s possibilities for us are transformed by the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord.

As I write on Saturday, January 2, I was scheduled to be celebrant and preacher yesterday for the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. But I had learned on Sunday afternoon, December 27, that I might have had enough exposure to someone with COVID-19, whose symptoms were not yet apparent, to be infected. On Monday morning, I went early for the two tests being offered. The rapid test was negative. I didn’t get the results of the more accurate PCR test until Friday morning at 9:00 AM. Father Jay Smith took the Masses for which I was scheduled last week. I’m taking his Saturday today.

On Friday, ten days after exposure and with a negative PCR, in accordance with current CDC Guidelines, I went to Mass and sat in the nave, pretty far back. I was very conscious of maintaining social distance. While sitting there, I was struck, as if for the first time, by the beauty of holiness. I remind you that the church continues to be open daily. Usually there are only a few people in church at any one time—even during Mass. Safe distancing is not a problem. If you happen to be near while we are open, please come in. Visit the crèche. See the decorations. Say a prayer. Light a candle. “Merry Christmas” is still a good wish to have on our lips until it’s time to say, Happy Epiphany! —Stephen Gerth

WORDS OF THANKS . . . I want to thank some people for their work for the parish community on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—and for the Flower Guild, for the work that began, if I recall correctly, with a team meeting on All Saints’ Day. Brendon Hunter was design leader for the Flower Guild for Christmas this year. The other presently active members are Grace Mudd, Marie Rosseels, and Br. Thomas SSF. Matthew Lobe, new to the parish this year, assisted the Guild. Marie tells me that Sexton Harka Gurung helped her restore the crèche when a tree fell over . . . The ushers for Christmas Eve were Aston Lindsey, Jason Mudd, Mary Robison, and Marie Rosseels, Christmas Day, Tom Heffernan, Grace Mudd, Jason Mudd and Marie Rosseels. On Christmas Eve, the servers were Grace Mudd and Brendon Hunter, on Christmas Day, Rick Miranda and Leroy Sharer. Finally, I want to acknowledge the work of Br. Damien Joseph SSF for his photography and videography during Christmastide! Many, many thanks to all of you. —S.G.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Barbara, Tim, Quincy, Florette, Janice, Jennifer, Caroline, Katharine, Christine, Ashley, Kim, Carmen, Shalim, John, Marilouise, José, Alexandra, Willard, Hardy, Burton, Emil, Robert, Abraham, Dennis, Ethelyn, and Margaret; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for Gaylord and Louis, priests, and Charles, bishop, for all those who work for the common good, and for all the members and friends of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . January 3: 1920 Frank A. Kellogg; 1926 Josephine Piel; 1927 Mary Catherine Pomeroy Starr; 1935 George William Grotz; 2006 William Howard Schreiner.

THE ORDINARY FRIDAYS OF THE YEAR are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion. Abstinence is dispensed during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, January 3, The Second Sunday after Christmas Day, Mass 11:00 AM. The church opens at 10:00 AM and closes at 12:30 PM. The preacher is the Reverend Jay Smith. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Sharon Harms, soprano. This service is live-streamed . . . Wednesday, January 6, The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Said Mass 12:10 PM. Sermon by Father Stephen Gerth. Dr. David Hurd will play during the service. Ms. Sharon Harms will be cantor. This Mass will be live-streamed.

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN 2021 . . . We mailed packets to 117 households that pledged last year; to 47 households that did not pledge last year, but did pledge at some point during the previous four years households; and to 698 households that have expressed an interest in supporting the parish in the past. Our goal for the campaign is $400,000. Thus far, we have only achieved about 69% of that goal. We encourage all the friends and members of the parish to return their pledge cards as soon as possible. This will help the Budget Committee in its work. However, if making a commitment by that date is not possible, we will gladly receive pledge cards at any point during the coming year. Our needs are urgent, especially in these days of the pandemic. Our mission is clear. We invite your support. We are very grateful to all those who have already pledged for 2021 and to all those who continue to support Saint Mary’s.

NEIGHBORS IN NEED . . . Our next Drop-by Event, during which we distribute clothing and toiletry articles, will take place on Friday, January 15, 2:00–3:00 PM in the church and the Lady Chapel. Volunteers work between 1:15 PM and 3:30 PM. If you’d like more information, if you’d like to make a financial or clothing donation, or if you’d like to know about volunteering with Neighbors in Need, please contact Brother Damien or Brother Desmond . . . Saint Mary’s has long provided assistance to our neighbors at the Saint Clement’s Food Pantry, sending cash donations, but also receiving non-perishable food items which were then delivered to the Pantry. The pandemic has made collecting and delivering difficult for a number of reasons. However, since food insecurity has increased in the city—also because of the pandemic—we would like to re-double our efforts in assisting the Saint Clement’s program. Cash donations are gratefully received. Please put Saint Clement’s Food Pantry in the memo line or field when you make your donation, and we thank you.

THE GIFT OF FLOWERS . . . We are hoping to receive donations for altar flowers for many of the Sundays in January and early February. If you would like to make a donation, please contact Chris Howatt in the parish office.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Parishioner Barbara Klett was admitted this week to Lenox Hill Hospital, where she underwent surgery to repair a fractured hip. We expect that she will be in the hospital for a week or so. Please keep her in your prayers . . . It makes us very happy to be able to open our doors again for public worship, on weekdays as well as on Sundays. The surge of infections in our city and around the country is concerning. We have committed ourselves to redoubling our efforts to keep every member of the community safe and healthy. If you are at all unwell, do not come to church. If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary-care physician and get tested. If you have a fever of 103.5, which is not being handled by an analgesic, and/or you are having difficulty breathing (by difficulty we mean you must stop talking in order to focus on your breathing), go to an emergency room immediately.

NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS COVID-19 TESTING SITES . . . COVID-19 testing is walk-in only. No appointment is needed. Walk-in testing is available at no cost to you at NYC Health + Hospitals locations. Please visit the NYC Health + Hospital website for further information and for a listing of testing locations. The site also provides information about tests for children both above and below the age of two.

MUSIC AT SAINT MARY’S . . . The organ prelude on Sunday morning is a chorale fantasia on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (“How brightly shines the Morning Star”) by Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707). This chorale, associated with the season of Epiphany, is found in two melodic versions in The Hymnal 1982 at 496 and 497. Buxtehude’s fantasia begins by quoting the melody literally, although cloaked in varying accompaniments suggestive of a narrative relative to the journey of those following the star. The second variation is more stylistically uniform and in the manner of a gigue.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday is by the American composer Gerald Near (b. 1942). A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Near has distinguished himself particularly as a composer of organ and choral music. His composition teachers have included Leo Sowerby, Leslie Bassett, and Dominick Argento. He has served as canon precentor of Saint Matthew’s Cathedral, Dallas, and as composer-in-residence at Saint John’s Cathedral, Denver, and has received many prestigious commissions for works which have been performed internationally. His choral music includes many anthems and settings for both Office and Eucharist. He is represented in The Hymnal 1982 by two hymn settings and five additional pieces of service music. The Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei at Mass today are among Near’s contributions to the current Episcopal Hymnal. The Gloria and Sanctus settings, composed around 1974, were commissioned by the Inter-Lutheran Committee on Worship, but were not included in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). The Agnus Dei is from Near’s Music for Eucharist, 1973. These settings evidence the non-metrical freedom of syllabic plainsong and the subtle harmonic coloring characteristic of Near’s choral style.

The cantor at Mass on Sunday is Sharon Harms, soprano. During the Communion she will sing Expectans expectavi Dominum from the Christmas Oratorio, Opus 12, of Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). Saint-Saëns’ involvement in Paris church music began when he was appointed at age seventeen to an organist post at Saint Séverin. Soon thereafter he was appointed to similar post at Saint Merry. His last and most remembered tenure as organist was at the Church of the Madeleine where he served from 1857 to 1877. Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël was composed in less than two weeks and completed only ten days prior to its premiere on Christmas Eve 1858 at the Church of the Madeleine. It is a work of ten movements and scored for five soloists, mixed chorus, organ, harp, and strings. While the Latin libretto includes familiar seasonal narrative from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, additional biblical text is drawn from the Gospel of John, Isaiah, Lamentations, and the Psalms. Thus, Saint-Saëns’ composition is not so much merely a telling of the Christmas story, but rather, a biblical reflection on its significance. The mezzo-soprano aria Expectans expectavi, third of the ten movements, takes its text from Psalm 40 (Psalm 39 in Vulgate).

Sunday’s organ postlude is from the miscellaneous chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). In dulci jubilo, BWV 729, is based upon the traditional Christmas carol known to English-speaking carolers as Good Christian men rejoice. In this short piece, Bach separates phrases of the carol melody stated in block harmony with free fantasia passages, which sound very much like they might have been improvised.

More About the Cantor on Sunday: Praised as “superb,” “luscious-toned,” “extraordinarily precise and expressive,” and “dramatically committed and not averse to risk” by the New York Times, American soprano Sharon Harms is known for fearless performances and passionate interpretations of works new and old for the recital, concert, and operatic stage. A member of the Argento Ensemble, Ms. Harms has premiered the music of some of today’s leading composers and her repertoire spans a versatile spectrum of periods and styles. She has sung with Da Capo Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Signal, International Contemporary Ensemble, Juilliard Center for Innovation in the Arts, Limón Dance Company, MET Opera Chamber Orchestra, New Chamber Ballet, Pacifica Quartet, Princeton Festival Opera, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Talea Ensemble, and Third Coast Percussion, among others. She has also been a guest artist with the American Academy in Rome, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Columbia University, Cornell University, June in Buffalo, MATA Festival, University of British Columbia, University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, Radcliffe Institute, and Resonant Bodies Festival, and has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. Ms. Harms is on the soprano faculty for the Composer’s Conference at Brandeis University and was a visiting guest instructor at East Carolina University in 2017. She appears on the Albany, Bridge, and Innova labels. You are invited to visit her website, www.sharonharms.com.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION . . . Please note: all the adult-education classes this year begin at 9:30 AM, NOT at 10:00 AM. The Adult Forum has begun its Christmas break. Classes resume on Sunday, January 10, 9:30 AM, in Saint Joseph’s Hall.

We are very grateful to Grace Mudd and to Father Peter Powell, who taught our classes this fall. We owe a debt of gratitude to Grace Mudd who made it possible to offer the classes via Zoom, which made it possible for those not able, or ready, to come to the class in person to participate in the discussions.

In January, after the Christmas break, Brother Damien Joseph SSF will lead the Sunday morning adult-education class in a discussion of Christian mysticism, focusing on five different figures from the Western Christian mystical tradition. The series is “Christian Mysticism and the Secret of Knowing God.” These classes will take place on the following dates and, after an introductory class, will focus on a different mystic each week: January 10, Introduction; January 17, Clare of Assisi (1194-1253); January 24, Ramon Llull (1232-1315); and January 31, Bonaventure (1221-1274). Brother Damien may also add a fifth and final session on February 7, during which he will discuss Francisco de Osuna (1492/1497–c. 1540) and his practice of recollection (akin to centering prayer) discussed in his Third Spiritual Alphabet.

For all these classes, seating in Saint Joseph’s Hall will be arranged to maximize social-distancing. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide refreshments. All those attending the class must wear a face covering.

This edition of the Angelus was written and edited by Father Stephen Gerth and Father Jay Smith. Father Gerth is responsible for posting the newsletter on the parish website and for distributing it via mail and e-mail, with the assistance of Christopher Howatt.