Few sounds gladden the heart like church bells ringing. In days gone by, villages full of people gathered to the sound of bells. On Christmas Day, church bells rang far and wide resonating with hope and goodwill.
The story is told of a village where the church bells stopped ringing for many years. No one really knew why. But Christmases had come and gone without bells echoing against the mountainside. The townspeople were concerned. They began to think it had something to do with their offerings. So they put more jewels, more treasures, more of everything on the altar. But the bells remained silent.
Then one year a boy named Pedro and his younger brother set out from their humble home, miles from the church, to attend the wonderful Christmas Eve service they had heard so much about. The boys walked through the wind and chill more than half the day and into the night so they could join in the festivities. But just as they entered the city, they saw an old woman lying in a bed of snow. She was cold and weak and barely breathing. Pedro could not pass by without helping. He looked into the distance and knew that he would miss the service, but he asked his little brother to go ahead and take his only silver coin, still warm in his pocket, and place it on the altar. Pedro stayed with the woman and helped her. He did not hear the organ play or the choir sing, but he did hear the bells ring—for the first time in many, many years. The people said the bells started ringing when Pedro’s little brother dropped his silver coin onto the altar. No one in the Church knew why—but Pedro did. He had given away what he wanted for himself to help someone else.[i]
This year as we hear the Christmas bells chime, remember the wondrous gift that was given so long ago in Bethlehem. As we selflessly give, we too will hear the bells on Christmas Day.
Program #3930
[i] “Why the Chimes Rang,” Pure Love: Readings on Sixteen Enduring Virtues, sel. Marilyn Arnold (1997), 188–92.