Wednesday, December 4

Creator of the Stars of Night
[9th Century Latin translated by Mason Neale 1851]

Conditor alme siderum
Aeterna lux credentium
Christe Redemptor omnium
Exaudi preces supplicum

Creator of the stars of night
Your people's everlasting light,
O Christ, Redeemer of us all,
We pray you hear us when we call.

I am always taken by hymns which have stood the test of time.  The Latin hymn Conditor Alme Siderum is just such a hymn.  It has been in constant use by the church for more than 1200 years.  In the 19th century the Latin was rendered in an English poem which does a remarkable job of not only conveying the meaning of the Latin but in keeping meter and a rhyming scheme.  Anyone who has ever translated knows how exceedingly difficult was Mason Neale's task.  The melody is also an ancient plainsong based on the Mode IV - and that modal melody brings one's imagination to monastic worship spaces throughout the span of the centuries.

When we sing a hymn like Creator of the Stars of Night we are reminded that our faith has been held and preserved and transmitted to us by countless mothers and fathers of faith who have walked the pilgrimage of faith before us and who handed on to the next generation the wisdom that was learned.  We walk our journey of faith on paths blazed by generations of believers and hymns like this one are well-worn and time-tested declarations of faith.

Our God, who created light in the darkness and who established the stars in the sky, is the light of life for those who choose to trust.  Jesus says it this way, [John 8:12] Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."  Today as we walk in the light and life given to us by God's grace, let us be thankful for the millions of faithful people who have kept the songs of praise alive for us for millennia.

Daily Collect:
Creator of the stars of night, your people's everlasting light, O Christ, Redeemer of us all, we prayer you hear us when we call.  May we be good stewards of the mysteries of faith and may we be faithful in preserving for those who will follow after us the poetic wisdom in hymns like this one.  We ask this in the name of the one who promises that when we follow him we will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  Amen.