The Christmas Carol: Silent Night

Born as a third child of his mother and his father fleeing home out of disgrace and having been adopted as the godson by the town’s brutal executioner, this child was banned from attending school, learning a trade, or even holding a job, yet he loved to sing. While playing on the steps leading up to Capuchin Monastery, he was heard singing by a Benedictine monk who could not bear to see the voice wasted. Hence, he arranged for the boy to study with his elite group of students. The monk’s kindness was not wasted, and the boy proved to be an outstanding student who mastered the organ, violin, and guitar by the time he was twelve. He continued his training and was ordained a priest in 1815.

 Over the course of his life, he was assigned many duties in the town, and while he was the assistant at Oberndorf, he penned the words to a new Christmas carol and asked the church organist, Franz Gruber, to set them to music. On Christmas Eve of 1818, the two first sang what became the famous Christmas carol: “Silent Night, Holy Night.” “Silent Night” captures the incredible humility of a God who stooped not just to the level of humanity but the lowest level–born among animals and announced to ordinary shepherds. In his final posting, he opened a school that took in poor children and gave his entire income for this project, and died as he was born. This was none other than Joseph Mohr.

 (Source: www.christianity.com)