In my post for the winter solstice, on December 21, I wrote about Holy Darkness. There is something magical about darkness when it is imbued with a sense of the sacred, when we are not fearful of the darkness. I think of a line from a Bruce Cockburn song, Pacing the Cage, "sometimes the darkness is your friend."
With Christmas Day, we move to a celebration of the light that has come into the world with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The reflections I offer are not unlike those offered by Krystyna Higgins in the Christmas edition of Living with Christ. Like her, I am naturally drawn to the light. She says, "Light is an essential, uplifting and transformative element in our lives."
Regardless of whether you celebrate at Midnight Mass, the Mass at Dawn, or Mass During the Day, you will encounter images of light. Isaiah speaks of how, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light: those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shone." At the Mass during the Day, Isaiah reminds us about the effects of this new light, "In plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion." Luke's proclamation of the birth of Jesus features the glory of the Lord shining around the shepherds. Psalm 97 reminds us, "A light will shine on us this day: The Lord is born for us."
John's Gospel proclaims the life of God that is the light of the human race. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." John the Baptist comes to testify to the true light. The Word became flesh and lived among us. Jesus is that light who shines in the dark corners of our personal lives and the world.
Higgins offers a good summary of the challenge of receiving the light of Christ. Let me offer her words. "But it is not enough for us to be merely passive recipients of that light. We are called to become, each of us, a light for others. Often the darkness surrounding us may seem to be impenetrable. Alone, we each may be only a tiny firefly or a wavering candle flame. Joined together in the light of Christ, however, we can illuminate and transform our world."
How much we need that transformation in our world! There are far too many areas of darkness and they are not friendly or safe. They are places of fear and suspicion. Those corners may be in those secret places in our own hearts, corners that we ourselves may be unaware of. They may be in our personal, family or social history – corners that we know about but are reluctant to speak about. They may be in the global issues that seem so insurmountable to us. Whatever the dark corners, the Light of Christ can shed new life.
Merry Christmas! All of the writers at IgNation wish you and your loved ones the light and peace of this season. Let us be light for each other throughout this season and into the new year.