Over the summer, I read through Pope Benedict XVI’s General Audiences on the Church Fathers. In his catechesis on Alphonsus Liguori, he pointed out something interesting. This great Doctor of the Church wrote the lyrics of a popular Italian carol. The carol is called tu scendi dalle stelle. It translates to English: From Starry Skies Descending. In English, it roughly translates as follows:

From starry skies descending,
Thou comest, glorious King,
A manger low Thy bed,
In winter’s icy sting;
O my dearest Child most holy,
Shudd’ring, trembling in the cold!
Great God, Thou lovest me!
What suff’ring Thou didst bear,
That I near Thee might be!

Thou art the world’s Creator,
God’s own and true Word,
Yet here no robe, no fire
For Thee, Divine Lord.
Dearest, fairest, sweetest Infant,
Dire this state of poverty.
The more I care for Thee,
Since Thou, O Love Divine,
Will’st now so poor to be.

Beautiful words for this second day of Christmas! Here is the sung version by Andrea Bocelli