Wenceslas and Remembering the Poor

Good King Wenceslas looked out/ on the Feast of Stephen

When the snow lay round about/ deep and crisp and even:

Brightly shone the moon that night/ tho' the frost was cruel

When a poor man came in sight/gath'ring winter fuel.

This is the first verse of a mid-19th century British carol, set to a much older tune, and which tells an even older legend of a Bohemian duke who was posthumously recognized as a king for his generosity. How is that for a mouthful? 

This carol wasn't originally written for Christmas and it's only vaguely Christian. The jaunty tune doesn't really fit with the serious subject matter, so some music critics dismiss it. For some reason, though, it has persisted. There are a lot of us who can sing the first couple of lines and hum the rest of the tune. 

Until yesterday I'd never made the connection between what we know as Boxing Day and the Feast of St. Stephen, an occasion for alms-giving. There is an irony in the fact that a day which shouts "buy! buy! buy!' in our culture was "give! give! give!" in another era. 

                                                        Alms Box "Remember the Poor"

The 26th of December was the day when the rich boxed up gifts for the poor of their parishes.It was also a day off for servants, when they received a Christmas box from their employers. The alms boxes in churches were opened on Christmas Day as well and their contents shared with the needy on Boxing Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen.

 I realize now that my late mother shared this with me when I was a teen and new everything-- she emigrated from Britain as a child -- and I was dubious about this origin. We should always listen to our mothers. 

Generosity is a good plan, especially for those of us who believe that God has been lavish in love through Jesus, the infant and the resurrected Christ. We can make sure that our society does more than engage in occasional acts of charity. We can seek justice for all because it is the right choice and the Christian way. 

Go now, and hum the carol!

In his master's steps he trod/ where the snow lay dinted

Heat was in the very sod/ which the saint had printed

Therefore, Christian men, be sure/wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor/shall yourselves find blessing.