From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 25 December

Christmas is that time of year when, around the world, Christians gather together in great towering cathedrals and small parish churches, to celebrate the birth of the boy child in the manager 2000 years ago.

It is the most joyous time in the Christian calendar. The singing of carols has always formed an integral part of the Christmas and Christian celebrations. Gregorian chant – which is often erroneously attributed to the Saint Pope, Gregory the Great, dates back to the 8th century. Music was used as means of involving the illiterate masses in the daily worship.

Unlike anything else, music has the capacity to take you, instantly, to a time and place; to stir an ancient memory; to touch your heart and rekindle a first, or lost love.

Music is at the centre of Christmas celebrations. The genesis of the carols dates back to the 13th century; by the 16th century they had faltered and almost disappeared from the Order of Service. It was not until the 18th century that they enjoyed a revival – and still today, we sing some of those carols.

While the traditional form of Christmas celebration has altered down through the years, the power and the wonderment of the miracle remains as strong as ever.  Whether you believe, or not, matters little. It is the tenet which counts. No matter what the form, it is a story of which never seem to tire.

In the Australian Carol, Christmas Night, it is told not from a snow-covered landscape, but from our hemisphere’s perspective, with the Southern Cross hanging-high in the bright, inky, night sky:

All the heavens are lit by a bright starry glow,

But the babes are asleep in the town far below,

They are sleeping and dreaming each one in his bed,

While the angels acclaim a Boy King overhead.

All the boo-books are silent in willow tree glade,

And the night heron listens in star spangled shade,

While the moon like a sentry stands guard on the hill,

But below in the town all the babes slumber still.

There are lights in the heavens in praise of a King,

There is music triumphant, and voices that sing,

Till at last in the town far below them it seems,

That the babes murmur softly, and smile in their dreams.

So Lulla, my love, O’lulla my love

The King of the World’s coming down from above.

We are told, allegorically, that suddenly there appeared in the sky over Bethlehem, a multitude of the Heavenly Host, saying: Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, Peace to Men of Goodwill.

A splendid sentiment in the theory, but problematic in its application.

Any lack of goodwill creates an emotional pain which inflicts a heavy toll. For the marginalised, it is magnified, many fold. As a civilised society, we have a long road to travel when it comes to granting equality.

We have still to learn not to judge a book by its cover – or indeed, others by the colour of their skin or their religious beliefs; to take a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes, however challenging; to realise, the one thing over which we have absolute control is our attitude; to see the effect it has on those around us, for each life is linked to all life, and our words carry with them chain reactions, like a stone which is thrown into a pond.

If our thinking is in order, our words will flow directly from the heart. If we truly want to change our world, and the world of those around us, then we must, all, change our thinking.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Roland can be heard each Monday on 3BA at 10.45am and you can send him Christmas wishes to [email protected].