Ain Karem

When we were in Spain we heard a group called Ain Karem. They are popular in Spain but little known outside of the Iberian Peninsula. The group is named for the village where, according to tradition, The Virgin Mary conversed with her cousin Elizabeth while both women were pregnant. The group contains a priest, but is otherwise a womens' group, originating in the Carmelite order but now containing lay women as well as nuns. Their music is usually about issues of justice and the above clip is an example. What I really like is the juxtaposition of the cheerful 60's folksy Singing Nun ambience of the music and the radical, revolutionary lyrics. Sort of a 21st Century Spanish incarnation of the Magnificat

We have a CD of theirs playing as Advent draws to a close. If you're looking for "the real meaning of Christmas", here it is.

The women and the children do not count,
Those who wander on the margins do not count,
The poor and the sick do not count,
Nor do the crucified ones count.
They do not count who have no work,
neither those who are addicted,
or those who speak a different tongue in a strange land,
or those who are a different colour.

But for you,
They are the ones who count,
These are the ones who sing of God's glory.
They are your face, O Crucified Lord,
They are your face, O Risen Lord,
They are you.
But for you,
They are the ones who count,
These are the ones who sing of God's glory.
They are your face, O Crucified Lord,
They are your face, O Risen Lord,
They are you.

The child soldiers have no name,
Neither do the girls who are sold into slavery.
Those who are dying of hunger don't exist,
and they are ignored who suffer alone.
The women and the children were not counted
And even today the smallest count for nothing.
May I make my sibling's pain my own,
and in justice share bread with them.

But for you,
They are the ones who count,
These are the ones who sing of God's glory.
They are your face, O Crucified Lord,
They are your face, O Risen Lord,
They are you.
But for you,
They are the ones who count,
These are the ones who sing of God's glory.
They are your face, O Crucified Lord,
They are your face, O Risen Lord,
They are you.

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