O Magnum Mysterium

One of the most divine pieces of music I know is the O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen (I love it so much, it even played a starring role in my first novel).

Before I say anything, take a listen:

The O Magnum Mysterium texts is one of the oldest in the liturgy, making up part of the Christmas Matins, and telling the story of how Jesus was born in the manger surrounded by the lowly animals, and the Virgin Mary who trusted in God enough to step into an unknown journey.

Now look, whatever you think about the literal capital-T Truth of the Bible (and I already talked the other week about Mithras, who was also born of a Virgin on the 25th of December, so…) the text captures the great mystery of Faith – O Magnum Mysterium. The pure unknowingness of the cosmic universal consciousness that I call God makes Faith even more awesome – and I mean literally something that fills me with awe.

It’s easy to have faith in a concrete story that you’ve grown up believing is true. I don’t question the amount of faith that pre-modern Christians had because there was no other option. I’m not impressed by people’s faith in a concrete book (especially when there were so few books, and so few stories, and competing stories were summarily ended). When you grow up with a fable that you believe is Truth, and everyone else has the same story and believes the same Truth, there is no mystery to me.

To me the great mystery is the faith in the unknown. Einstein said, “Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvelous structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavor to comprehend a portion, be it ever so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature.”

The mystery of the eternity of life, of how life perseveres. Life can be found in the tiniest crevices at the bottom of the ocean, in the fiery volcanoes. Life, and the Divine Energy that seems to connect all life, the energy that creates our spirit, and creates art and music, and poetry, and creates all the little synchronicities the binds us together – that is the Great Mystery, and in the darkest time of the year, during the darkest time of a global pandemic, I think it’s important to remember this. Life continues. Life will always continue, and the same life energy that pulses through the trees, and the birds, and the grass growing on the forest floor also pulses in me. And that is one of the main things I celebrate at this time of year, and is one of the things most worthy of celebration.