I give a lot of credit for my vocation as a Jesuit and as a priest to “guitar Masses” in the 1970s and early 80s. For me and for many Catholics of my generation, these guitar Masses, or folk Masses, brought the Eucharist and the Word of God to life.
When I entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1981, the St. Louis Jesuits released an album of Christmas songs called “Gentle Night.” “Wake from Your Sleep” is a wonderful Christmas carol composed by Dan Schutte on this album. This song reminds me of the heart of our Advent call to wake up from our spiritual slumber (which might include acknowledging our sins) and welcome the Lord Jesus into our hearts anew. I bet few readers of this reflection have ever heard of this melody. The song has the sound of a catchy renaissance or baroque tune in ¾ time. When you listen to it, the song almost cries out to be accompanied by a harpsichord and an oboe!
The first verse goes like this:
Wake from your sleep, a Savior is born
God’s holy child gives light to this morn
All our darkness to dispel
Praise to our God whose glory we tell
The third verse continues:
Stay with us now, O Lord of the earth
Make of our hearts a place for your birth
Though our cares be great or small
Jesus the Lord, be born in us all
When I hear this lovely lullaby of a Christmas carol, I am transported back to snowy winter evenings of my first two years as a Jesuit novice, praying that I would be confirmed in my vocation and granted the graces to become a companion of Jesus, a servant of Christ’s mission. This song reminds me that Advent is about waking up in a spiritual sense: waking up to the miracle of the Incarnation — God with us — Emmanuel born to Mary and Joseph in a village called Bethlehem, some 2024 years ago.
When I “wake up,” spiritually speaking, I open my mind and heart to welcome Jesus to be born anew in me. With God’s grace, that gradually happened during my early years in the Society of Jesus. I pray that each of us can open our minds and hearts to welcome Christ anew in these final Advent days and coming Christmas season.
