The year was 1862.  The Civil War was raging.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was grieving the death of his second wife when news came that his son had been gravely wounded in the war.  That was when Longfellow sat down and wrote this poem:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day,
their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat,
of peace on earth good will to all
And in despair I bowed my head,
there is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
of peace on earth good will to all.

In a matter of nine days now, you and I will officially celebrate the first Christmas of the 21st century.  Like every century before in recorded history, we will welcome the Prince of Peace into a world at war.  On this Advent Sunday, when we proclaim peace once more, I wonder—How…