Joseph Mohr stood in silent awe of the bright stars hanging over the snow-blanketed countryside of Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, Austria one night. Possibly his mind wandered back to his youth or even to earlier times as a baby when his mother was alone with him and wondering if the soldier she did not marry but loved could really have deserted her in her shame.
Joseph was given his father’s surname, the custom of the day, despite the fact that this surname would forever brand him a bastard. A boy like this could have turned quite bitter left on his own. Today when so many boys grow up without fathers I wish for more men like Johann Nepomuk Hiernle, vicar and leader of music at Salzburg Cathedral.
The vicar arranged for Joseph’s schooling and encouraged his musical explorations. Encouragement is the simplest thing to do but, as a muscle, it is often underused. My cynical mind briefly intrudes on this pleasant thought. Did the vicar have some horrible reason for taking this boy under his wing? Have I been infected by the narrative that seems to say all men and boys are predators? God forbid it! How awful that the good are sullied by the evil in their midst.
Maybe a man of integrity and courage is a rarer thing than I hope? I choose to believe that one day men of integrity will be valued again in the way young Joseph must have valued his friendship with the vicar.
Joseph, as a bastard, needed special permission to enter the seminary. He became a priest. On this snowy night he walked the two miles to his friend’s house. Joseph carried a poem he’d written on a similar evening a few years back. Franz Gruber helped Joseph put the poem to music to be used for Father Joseph’s Christmas Eve service.
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Joseph is remembered for his music. Silent Night is sung every year. I wonder about the vicar, though. His quiet help took a boy from poverty and shame and enriched us all.
Author Adrienne Morris 
9 responses to “Grace upon Grace”
I wish you the Holiday season will bring joy and happiness. This is so beautiful clip and song!!
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Humans are complex. It’s wonderful to know that some people live noble and decent lives. They raise the hopes of the rest of us.
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It’s hard to write about fictional heroes because they seem so unbelievable. In real life they abound if we look for them. 🙂
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I think there are more good people than we will ever know. I think the media does us a disservice in only reporting bad news.
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We don’t help by supporting and consuming negative media, but it takes real discipline to turn away from a train wreck! LOL
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But it is possible. I try to select my watching — and reading and listening — based on Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
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Amen!
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Wonderful to hear the full story about the origin of Silent Night.
How beautiful the love and care between the boy and the vicar.
May we all be ready to give a helping hand where we can.
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It’s a beautiful song and a wonderful story. I think it’s very sad that the mind leaps to those conclusions (I think it’s especially hard lately to have faith in humanity when it comes to these things) But I think what the above commenter said was very apt- there are more good people than we know and it’s important to remember that!
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