Recently, I received a text containing a video of my 14-year-old granddaughter, Ella Marie. Somehow she had used an app on her iPhone to generate an acapella, three-part harmony version of “Mary Did You Know?” For those who are unfamiliar with this song, it poses a series of questions asking Mary if she knows the wonders of her child such as, “Do you know that your baby boy will one day give sight to a blind man or that your baby boy will one day calm the storm with his hand?” etc.

When my granddaughter sang the words, “When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God,” I wept. Not only because of the beauty of her pure voice, but because the song caused me to ponder whether or not Mary fully understood the role she was to play in the world as the mother of Jesus. After all, she was probably only a little older than Ella when she was called upon to help fulfill God’s plan for humankind by having a baby boy who would become our Lord and savior.

Having experienced childbirth twice, I can only imagine the pain and discomfort Mary felt as she and Joseph traveled all the way to Bethlehem only to give birth in an unsanitary animal shelter where her only comfort was the knowledge that she was giving birth to the son of God. But did Mary fully comprehend what this would mean for humanity over 2,000 years later?

Where am I going with this? What point I am trying make? The answer is simple. I want everyone who reads this to slow your schedule down during these last two weeks of Advent and to contemplate the real meaning of this holy and special season.

We are so fortunate that Natchez and the surrounding areas afford us so many opportunities to put “Christ” back in our Christmas. One such event is St. Mary Basilica’s multi-parish presentation of “Lessons and Carols,” a traditional Christmas service of scripture and song celebrating “the birth of a child and birth of hope.” St. Mary will be joined by Assumption, Holy Family and St. Anne as our Catholic community performs a worship service which originated in 1880 and has been adapted and shared all over the world.

Dr. Patrick Doherty, co-chair of the event, will direct the St. Mary Basilica Choir, and Cherish McCallum will direct the St. Mary Basilica Singers and the St. Mary Basilica Children’s Choir. Soloists from Holy Family will also perform, and as a special treat, Gabrielle Richardson, a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi will sing “O Holy Night!” The congregation will also have an opportunity to participate in the singing of traditional carols.

And yes, “Mary, Did You Know?” will be sung by the St. Mary Basilica Choir, so please join us at 3 p.m. Sunday at our beautiful and historic St. Mary to worship and for a reception to follow at the Father David O’Connor Family Life Center. This event is free and open to the public.

 

Gwen S. McCalip is a member of St. Mary and co-chairman of “Lessons and Carols”