Merry Christmas! To aid in your continued celebration of this wondrous mystery, take a minute to reflect on this beautiful and relevant hymn for this time of year:

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”

1. Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

2. King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heav’nly food.

3. Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the pow’rs of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

4. At His feet the six-winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord Most High!”

This beautiful and ancient hymn most likely dates back to the fourth century, as part of the Eucharistic preface of the Liturgy of St. James. A variation of the words of the hymn would have been prayed during the Mass, encouraging the priest and the lay faithful to ponder the deep mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and His profound gift of self in His Real Presence in the Eucharist. Unfortunately, although many other Christian denominations still use and appreciate the beauty of this hymn, the understanding of the true depth of the connection to Holy Communion has been lost. Let us pray for a reunification of all Christians and for understanding and belief in the Real Presence to spread!

The text of the preface may have read as such: “Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and stand with fear and trembling, and ponder nothing earthly in itself; for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Christ our God, cometh forward to be sacrificed and to be given for food to the faithful; and He is preceded by the choirs of the Angels, with every Domination and Power, the many-eyed Cherubim, and the six-winged Seraphim, that cover their faces, and vociferate the hymn, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.” This is clearly connected to the words of Habakkuk 2:20, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

An Anglican priest, Gerard Moultrie (1829–1885), first published the English version of this hymn in 1864. Moultrie’s hymn was based on the prose translation of J.M. Neale (1818–1866) and closely follows the liturgical text, with some additions. The melody is a French folk song known as Picardy, which was first transcribed thanks to Mme. Pierre Dupont and J.B. Wekerlin around the same time as the English translation appeared.

As we continue to celebrate and reflect on the great gift and mystery of the Incarnation during this Christmas season, may our listening to this ancient and beautiful hymn remind us that Christ continues to be with us on earth in His physical presence in the Most Holy Eucharist. What a gift we have been given!

References: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/let-all-mortal-flesh-keep-silence