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Carolyn's avatar

I think that because the death of a child is almost always unexpected and shocking in first world societies today, it’s all too easy to get the “ick” from Childermas. However, I try to put myself in the place of a medieval or early modern parent who had to expect losing a child as a likely and normal part of parenthood… How comforting it must have been to have this feast as a reminder of the cohorts of little saints waiting in heaven since the era of Jesus’ birth.

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Catherine Nunan's avatar

First of all, I never knew the backgrounds to the delicate beauty of the Coventry Carol, a favourite of mine from when I was in a choir in High School. It did always strike me as we sang it, how soft and delicate it was. As a mother and grandmother now, I can see why. Thank you for illuminating it. Secondly, Iris and I read a little Bible book called The Happy Search only this morning and it had Herod in it, glowering and lying about his desire to worship the Baby King. Iris was horrified that he wanted to kill Baby Jesus but I am still glad that this was in the story. She could sense in her innocence that he was a bad man and that suffering would come if The Three Wise Men told him where the manger was.

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