Advent Reflection 01 December
Hark a thrilling voice is sounding
Pause for a moment
As we get started with our Advent reflections – when do you find it hardest to get moving and do something?
Listen to the music
Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding;
“Christ is nigh,” it seems to say,
“Cast away all dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day.”
Startled at the solemn warning
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
Lo, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon
down from Heav’n;
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiven.
So when next He comes with glory,
Wrapping all the earth in fear,
With His mercy He may shield us,
And with words of love draw near.
To the Father and Son
With the everlasting Spirit,
While unending ages run.
Learn about the carol
This Advent hymn was translated to English, from a 5th century Latin hymn "En clara vox redarguit", by Edward Casswall (1814-1878). Some versions have the first line as "Hark a herald voice is sounding", or "Hark a thrilling voice is sounding". It was historically assigned to the daily office of Lauds (one of the morning services) in Advent. It is sometimes ascribed to St. Ambrose. It recalls the message of John the Baptist as found in the readings for the first Sunday of Advent. The call goes out to arouse the slothful soul so that it might see the bright new star, or sun. Since the Lamb of God is sent to pay our debt, we must do penance and ask pardon in the hope of protection when Christ comes in glory. In the revised version of this hymn that was found in the Roman Breviary of 1632, only four lines were left unchanged from the original text.
Time for reflection
I struggle with winter. For years, I fought the feeling of sadness that came with waking up in the darkness and having very little sunlight. Eventually, I took note of my feelings. I now have a daylight simulation light next to the bed which gets light slowly each morning so that I wake up naturally to the light. I also try and spend time outside in the middle of the day.
Light is so important – it changes our view of the world and our feelings. When we live as children of the light, we have a very different outlook on life. This transforming light is encapsulated in this hymn.
Time for Action
Look at how you light your day to reflect your moods. Can you make any changes for the better?