FROM THE RECTOR: MATTHEW'S CHRISTMAS STORY

Prayer Book Studies 19: The Church Year (1970) described its decision to follow the Roman Catholic Church’s then-new lectionary and assign Matthew’s story of Jesus’ annunciation, birth, and naming (Matthew 1:18–25) to the Fourth Sunday of Advent in Year A. Since 1549, Matthew had been the gospel for the First Sunday after Christmas Day. Brother Thomas Bushnell BSG reminded me that though Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth was not read during Holy Communion, Morning Prayer, which included Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth, always preceded Holy Communion on Christmas Day (until the adoption of the 1892 Prayer Book—a subject for another day). The gospel for Christmas Day in the Christian West is anciently the beginning of John’s gospel. The present lectionary means that one of the two stories of Jesus’ birth is only heard at the Eucharist once every three years in Advent—and never at Mass during the Christmas Season.

The Drafting Committee for Prayer Book Studies 19 wrote: “The new arrangement also removes the anomaly of the Gospel of the ‘annunciation to Joseph’ on the first Sunday after Christmas” (page 24 n. 11). It is indeed an annunciation to Joseph on the First Sunday of Advent in Year A for Roman Catholics. They omit the final verse of the story: “[Joseph] had no relations with [Mary] until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus” (Matthew 1:25, New American Bible Revised Edition [2011]).

For the record, the Roman Catholic Lectionary appoints Matthew 1:1–25, though it may be shortened to Matthew 1:18–25 by omitting Matthew’s record of Jesus’ descent from Abraham, for the Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve. This week, I’ve found myself wondering whether in Year A we should hear Matthew 1:1–17 on the Fourth Sunday in Advent and Matthew 1:18–25 on the First Sunday after Christmas Day.

Except in years when Christmas Day and, thus, The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ fall on Sunday, we hear the first fourteen verses of John on Christmas Day and the first eighteen verses of John on the First Sunday after Christmas Day. Christmas Day and Holy Name will be on a Sunday in December 2022.

I usually follow the rules pretty closely, but as in 2018, we’re going to hear Matthew’s concise story of Jesus’ annunciation, birth, and naming on Sunday. The late Roman Catholic New Testament scholar Raymond Brown acknowledged his church’s provision for hearing the genealogy at the afternoon Mass on Christmas Eve, but commented, “a Mass that seems not to be frequently celebrated in the U.S.A.” (A Coming Christ in Advent [1988], 17 n.1). He also wrote, “If I am invited to give a pre-Christmas sermon, especially on an Advent Sunday, I go out of my way to make Matthew 1:1–17 the subject of the homily” (page 17).

I never had the privilege to meet or hear the Reverend Dr. Massey H. Shepherd, Jr. No book in my library is more helpful to me than his The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary (1950). In 1970, he was vice-chairman of the Standing Liturgical Commission and chairman of the Drafting Committee for Prayer Book Studies 19. Dr. Shepherd was one of two Anglicans, who along with a Methodist, a Lutheran, and the subprior of the Taizé community, were observers at meetings in 1964 and 1965 of the Consilium for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church in 1964 and 1965 (Annibale Bugnini, The Reform of the Liturgy 1948–1975 [1990], 200). He wrote that, “Only on once occasion did the Consilium decide to ask for the view of the observers as a group. This was during the discussion of the problem of cycles of readings in the celebration of the Eucharist . . . [The observers] suggested that the new Roman Lectionary be used experimentally for a certain period and that meanwhile timely agreements be reached on a Lectionary acceptable to the Roman Church and the other ecclesial communities. This was the only intervention the Fathers requested and agreed to; it was marked by great courtesy, respect, and prudence” (page 201).

I'm familiar with two of the four other members of this committee. The Reverend Dr. Reginald H. Fuller was a leading New Testament scholar of his generation. He taught at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary in New York, and Virginia Theological Seminary. I heard him speak at Nashotah House when I was a student. The other was Saint Mary’s then-rector, the Reverend Donald L. Garfield. The preface of Prayer Book Studies 19 notes that “The Committee held its first meeting in January 1968, in the rectory of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, New York” (page iv). I want to think that today the committee members would not be upset with me for wanting us to hear every year both stories of Jesus’ birth and the magnificent beginning of John’s gospel. Merry Christmas. —Stephen Gerth

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR Janice, Jennifer, Caroline, Barbara, Katharine, Christine, Ashley, Kim, Matt, Carmen, Shalim, Quincy, John, Marilouise, José, Emily, Willard, Alexandra, Robert, Burton, Hardy, and Margaret; for all who suffer from COVID-19; for David and Nicholas, RELIGIOUS; for Gaylord and Louis, PRIESTS, and Robert and Charles, BISHOPS: for all those who work for the common good, and for all the members, friends, and benefactors of this parish . . . GRANT THEM PEACE . . . December 27: 1891 Ethel Moore; 1917 Mary Stewart Elliot Carswell; 1926 Arthur Whitson Perry.

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.

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 68% 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.

AROUND THE PARISH . . . Many thanks to many people for their generous help and gifts at Christmas. More words of thanks will be in next week’s Angelus . . . Parishioner Barbara Klett fell in her apartment building some weeks ago. She has been receiving treatment at a rehabilitation center and, most recently, at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital. She has now been discharged from the hospital and is at a rehabilitation center in order to do physical therapy. Please keep her in your prayers . . . Mark Risinger is an active member of Saint Mary’s, vice president of the board of trustees, and a member of the Saint Mary’s Choir. Readers of the newsletter will have learned recently that father, the Reverend B.F. Risinger, died near his home in Corsicana, Texas, on December 8. Mark found out this week that his mother, Janice Ruth Preston Risinger, has tested positive for COVID-19. Her symptoms thus far have not been severe. Please keep her, Mark, and Mark’s brother, Andrew, in your prayers . . . Parishioner Philippe Corbé is a journalist, who has lived in New York in recent years, working as a correspondent for RTL, a French radio station. During that time, he lived in our neighborhood, discovered Saint Mary’s and, and, in the end, was received here at the parish. He recently returned to France to continue his work there. We will miss him. Please keep him in your prayers . . . Parishioner Jennifer Stevens has been very kindly staying in touch with her fellow parishioner Margaret Malone for many months now. Margaret recently celebrated her eighty-ninth birthday and Jennifer arranged to have her fellow parishioners record video and audio messages that she could share with Margaret. Margaret was very pleased. She looks forward to the day when she can return to Saint Mary’s in person. If you are a friend of one our parish’s elders, especially those who are unable to come to church, and think you would like to provide regular contact with them and act as a link to the parish community, please speak to Father Jay Smith . . . Shayleigh Katherine Dickson and Richard Thomas Page lived for a time near the rectory on Forty-seventh Street. They were married here on June 1, 2019. They have moved downtown, but we heard from them recently. Their son, Ozias Franklin Page, was born on Maundy Thursday, April 9, 2020. It was good to hear from them. Please keep them 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.

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.

THIS WEEK AT SAINT MARY’S . . . Sunday, December 27, The First 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 Stephen Gerth. The service is played by Dr. David Hurd. He will be joined by cantor, Jonathan May, countertenor. This service is live-streamed . . . Monday, December 28, Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (transferred), Mass 12:10 PM . . . Tuesday, December 29, The Holy Innocents (transferred), Mass 12:10 PM . . . Thursday, December 31, Christmas Weekday, Mass 12:10 PM. The church closes immediately after Mass due to New Year’s Eve activity in the Times Square neighborhood . . . Friday, January 1, The Holy Name of Jesus of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Said Mass 12:10 PM. This Mass will live-streamed. Again, this year, the Mass is at 12:10 PM, not at 11:00 AM.

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 the third of the four movements of Te Deum Laudamus by David Hurd, organist and music director at Saint Mary’s. Te Deum Laudamus, for organ solo, was composed in 1981 for Larry King (1932–1990), who was at that time organist and music director at Trinity Church, Wall Street. Dr. King premiered the work in a recital at the Riverside Church in the summer of 1983. The third movement, played this morning, is subtitled The Humbling. It begins with an extended solo on the Harmonic Flute stop of the organ. Following the flute solo, the Te Deum plainsong melody for Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, non horruisti Virginis uterum (“When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin”) is introduced and varied. The final section of this movement combines the original flute solo melody, with harmonizing accompaniment this time. At the same time, the plainsong melody of the hymn Divinum mysterium (“Of the Father’s love begotten,” #82 in The Hymnal 1982) is played in long tones in the tenor register.

The musical setting of the Mass on Sunday morning is from the traditional plainsong Mass IX Cum jubilo customarily assigned to feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary and associated with Christmas. The Kyrie (not sung this morning), Sanctus, and Agnus Dei of this setting may be remembered by some Episcopalians because they were included, with English text, in the “Fourth Communion Service” of The Hymnal 1940 under the title Missa Marialis. (Missa Marialis is a compilation of various chants spanning the ninth through fifteenth centuries, fitted with English texts by Canon Winfred Douglas [1867–1944] and first published in 1915. Canon Douglas, a pioneering advocate of historic church music in his day, was the editor of The Hymnal 1940.) The Gloria in excelsis of Missa Cum jubilo is particularly exuberant with the uncharacteristically wide vocal range of an octave and a fourth. This Gloria is in Mode 7 and is dated from the eleventh century. The Sanctus and Agnus Dei of Missa Cum jubilo are both in Mode 5 and fully exploit the range of an octave. They date from the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries, respectively.

The cantor on Sunday is countertenor Jonathan May. During the communion he will sing the aria Schließe, mein Herze from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Bach’s Christmas Oratorio was composed for the Christmas season of 1734 and includes music recycled from earlier works. The authorship of its libretto is unknown, but Christian Friedrich Henrici (1700–1764) likely collaborated in the work. The Christmas Oratorio is in six parts, and much like a series of six separate cantatas. These were intended to be performed individually or in groups on various days within the Christmas season which extended from December 25 until January 6. Part III of the oratorio, Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen (“Ruler of Heaven, hear the murmur”), is designated for the Third Day of Christmas. It centers of the adoration of the shepherds and contains a total of thirteen movements, the final one being a reprise of the first. The graceful aria Schließe, mein Herze, scored for alto, violin, and continuo, is the eighth movement of Part III.

The organ postlude is the setting from J. S. Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (“Little Organ Book”) of the Christmas chorale, In dir ist Freude (“In thee is joy”), BWV 615. The chorale melody is stated in the midst of energetic accompanying scales and passage work on the keyboard. The pedals punctuate this activity with a recurring motive and, occasionally, bits of the melody.

More about the Sunday’s cantor: Jonathan May, countertenor, performs regularly with ensembles such as Early Music New York, Trident Ensemble, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, and Mark Morris Dance Group. He was most recently featured as a soloist in SWELL, a music-theater work by Melisa Tien that weaves together ten original avant-garde/new music compositions written by ten composers drawing from their personal histories as immigrants and children of immigrants. Through SWELL, he worked with Carolyn Chen, Tamar Muskal, Polina Nazaykinskaya, and other composers to premiere several new music pieces written specifically for his voice.

He appeared with New York City’s TENET Vocal Artists in unconducted performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, featuring only twelve singers and the instrumental ensemble The Sebastians. He also appeared as Testo in Academy of Sacred Drama’s modern premiere of Vincenzo de Grandis’ Il Nascimento di Mose. Other season highlights include appearances as alto soloist in C. P. E. Bach’s Magnificat with American Classical Orchestra and in Handel’s Dixit Dominus with Canticum Scholare; singing the role of Spirit in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Mark Morris Dance Group; singing Philip Glass’s Madrigal Opera at National Sawdust; and performing Tallis’s Spem in alium with The Tallis Scholars. He holds a degree in music from Dartmouth College.

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.

AT THE GALLERIES . . . At the Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, at Thirty-sixth Street, Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” December 7, 2020, through January 11, 2021. From the museum website, “Every holiday season, the Morgan displays Charles Dickens’s original manuscript of A Christmas Carol in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library. Dickens wrote his iconic tale in a six-week flurry of activity beginning in October 1843 and ending in time for Christmas publication. He had the manuscript bound in red goatskin leather as a gift for his solicitor, Thomas Mitton. The manuscript then passed through several owners before Pierpont Morgan acquired it in the 1890s.

“Beginning a few years ago, the Morgan started advancing the Christmas Carol manuscript by one page each season. This year the manuscript is open to Scrooge’s vituperative remarks about Christmas, which, he believes, is nothing more than “a time for finding yourself a year older and not an hour richer.” For the obstinate Scrooge, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!” Scrooge’s nephew Fred counters with a spirited vindication of the holiday, “though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in [his] pocket”: “[it is] the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts, freely.”

Please visit the museum’s website for information about planning a visit and the museum’s COVID restrictions.

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.