Couple of days ago, I turned on the TV and a movie was about to start off. It was based on real events.
The story took place in World War I, the day before 1914 Christmas.
Germany had invaded Belgium and Luxembourg in August that year, opening several battlefront lines in the West. In one of them, units of three different armies faced each other from trenches, separated just by a piece of land of no more than 300 meters wide.
On one hand, a Scottish company from the British Army. Next to them one more from the French Army and finally a third one from the German Army.
The movie, which had no popular actors among the cast and seemed to be a low bugdget film, reflected quite well the daily life inside a trench . The soldiers spent most of the day under high pressure and tension, moving through the narrow corridors dug into the ground to attack the enemy and to defend themselves. Machine gun blasts, handbombs explossions few meters away, mud filled soldiers’ faces who looked for shelter where they could.
I do not remember why, but the German command had ordered the shipment of hundreds of small Christmas trees to their battlefront lines.
After a day of scrimmage and constant skirmishes, the darkness of the night put an end to hostilities on that day, allowing troops to have a break. Some of them were checking out their rifles, others were having dinner, while others were writing to their relatives or trying to get some sleep.
Then, when nobody expected, the silence of the night was broken by the sweet sound of a bagpipe coming out the British trench. The song, definitely a folk song, was, almost immediately, accompanied by the voices of the Scottish troops. They were so close to each other, that German and French troops could listened them loud and clear. When the Scottish soldiers finished their song…………., a feeling of extreme excitement had flooded all three trenches on the fly, the faces of many of the soldiers reflected just that.: a deep and powerful thrill. Suddenly, a German soldier took one of the trees sent by the German command and wielding it with his left hand, he stepped out of his trench -becaming a clear target - and began performing a capella version of "Silent Night", while the rest of the Germans troops placed more trees along the whole line of their trench.
The thrill was in crescendo. At the end of the carol, the Scottish piper, who had already left his trench, -becaming a clear target too -, made his bagpipe sound once again, but this time he did not play a popular tune from his homeland as he had done before, but a completely different one, a song known by all of them, "Adeste Fideles". As soon as the German soldier/singer heard the first chords he could not restrain himself and, with the sound of a harmonica that came out from the French trench, they three performed together. "Venite adoremus Dominum"…..
The three lieutenants commanding each company, were confused at that time by these unexpectable samples of friendship with the enemy, yet overwhelmed by how the situation had developed itself. They were not sure about what to do and decided to parley. They agreed to cease hostilities for that night, allowing the bury of fallen comrades. And there they were when a priest, part of the Scottish company, with open arms said aloud, "In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti" and every single soldier left whatever they were doing, turned their faces to the priest, they crossed themselves with the Sing of the Cross and replied “Amen”.
As soon as the service ended, the priest was asked by Germans and French to perform the Last Rites to their own deads.
The story took place in World War I, the day before 1914 Christmas.
Germany had invaded Belgium and Luxembourg in August that year, opening several battlefront lines in the West. In one of them, units of three different armies faced each other from trenches, separated just by a piece of land of no more than 300 meters wide.
On one hand, a Scottish company from the British Army. Next to them one more from the French Army and finally a third one from the German Army.
The movie, which had no popular actors among the cast and seemed to be a low bugdget film, reflected quite well the daily life inside a trench . The soldiers spent most of the day under high pressure and tension, moving through the narrow corridors dug into the ground to attack the enemy and to defend themselves. Machine gun blasts, handbombs explossions few meters away, mud filled soldiers’ faces who looked for shelter where they could.
I do not remember why, but the German command had ordered the shipment of hundreds of small Christmas trees to their battlefront lines.
After a day of scrimmage and constant skirmishes, the darkness of the night put an end to hostilities on that day, allowing troops to have a break. Some of them were checking out their rifles, others were having dinner, while others were writing to their relatives or trying to get some sleep.
Then, when nobody expected, the silence of the night was broken by the sweet sound of a bagpipe coming out the British trench. The song, definitely a folk song, was, almost immediately, accompanied by the voices of the Scottish troops. They were so close to each other, that German and French troops could listened them loud and clear. When the Scottish soldiers finished their song…………., a feeling of extreme excitement had flooded all three trenches on the fly, the faces of many of the soldiers reflected just that.: a deep and powerful thrill. Suddenly, a German soldier took one of the trees sent by the German command and wielding it with his left hand, he stepped out of his trench -becaming a clear target - and began performing a capella version of "Silent Night", while the rest of the Germans troops placed more trees along the whole line of their trench.
The thrill was in crescendo. At the end of the carol, the Scottish piper, who had already left his trench, -becaming a clear target too -, made his bagpipe sound once again, but this time he did not play a popular tune from his homeland as he had done before, but a completely different one, a song known by all of them, "Adeste Fideles". As soon as the German soldier/singer heard the first chords he could not restrain himself and, with the sound of a harmonica that came out from the French trench, they three performed together. "Venite adoremus Dominum"…..
The three lieutenants commanding each company, were confused at that time by these unexpectable samples of friendship with the enemy, yet overwhelmed by how the situation had developed itself. They were not sure about what to do and decided to parley. They agreed to cease hostilities for that night, allowing the bury of fallen comrades. And there they were when a priest, part of the Scottish company, with open arms said aloud, "In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti" and every single soldier left whatever they were doing, turned their faces to the priest, they crossed themselves with the Sing of the Cross and replied “Amen”.
As soon as the service ended, the priest was asked by Germans and French to perform the Last Rites to their own deads.
At
that time they were not Germans or Scottish or French, they were simple
men who shared a common historical heritage, same roots, same
civilization and so, when the priest said " Dominus Vobiscum " ,
everyone knew they had to answer "Et cum Spiritu tuo
Later that night they returned to their respective trenches. In the end, the three companies were –obviously- disbanded by their commanders, lieutenants were accused of unworthiness and soldiers were sent to other front lines as punishment for fraternizing with the enemy.
And then, the controversy we had in Spain some years ago with the removal of crucifixes from public schools came to my mind. I also recalled about all those who are reluctant to admit our belonging to the same civilization that those soldiers in 1914 Christmas, with whom we share traditions passed down through History and whose origin lies in a person who died on a Cross, in His Father and His Mother.
It has nothing to do with being a believer. I am not, but I recognize –I have to- that Jesus Christ is at the origin of the Civilization I belong to and that many of the moral values that we have nowadays come from Him. We measure time before and after his birth and we rest on Sundays just because His Father decided that the seventh day of the week was to do so. That’s why I thought it was wrong to remove crucifixes from public schools and that was one of the reasons why I enroled my daughter in a school that would guarantee her the knowledge of the Christian Civilization that she belongs to.
Later that night they returned to their respective trenches. In the end, the three companies were –obviously- disbanded by their commanders, lieutenants were accused of unworthiness and soldiers were sent to other front lines as punishment for fraternizing with the enemy.
And then, the controversy we had in Spain some years ago with the removal of crucifixes from public schools came to my mind. I also recalled about all those who are reluctant to admit our belonging to the same civilization that those soldiers in 1914 Christmas, with whom we share traditions passed down through History and whose origin lies in a person who died on a Cross, in His Father and His Mother.
It has nothing to do with being a believer. I am not, but I recognize –I have to- that Jesus Christ is at the origin of the Civilization I belong to and that many of the moral values that we have nowadays come from Him. We measure time before and after his birth and we rest on Sundays just because His Father decided that the seventh day of the week was to do so. That’s why I thought it was wrong to remove crucifixes from public schools and that was one of the reasons why I enroled my daughter in a school that would guarantee her the knowledge of the Christian Civilization that she belongs to.
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