From the age of humanity’s inception, light has been our single greatest unifying symbol of hope. Every holiday season, I am reminded of this when I see countless Christmas lights illuminate darkened city streets and flame-lit candles burning bright to commemorate holiday tradition.
For me, holiday lights are far more than collections of wiring and brightly colored bulbs. At least once per year, many of us display holiday lights, sharing with the world our collective belief that no matter how dark and desolate the night may appear, lights will always continue to shine.
In the Christmas tradition, we recognize the star that brought light to Bethlehem’s eastern sky at the birth of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus symbolizes the bright lantern of hope for all mankind among the world’s darkest corridors. This season reminds us that at our core, humankind has the capacity to embody — as Jesus did — an unending, unfailing and all encompassing love for one another. In fact, that was Jesus’ purpose here on Earth — to live as God’s incarnation. To exemplify how to embrace love amidst a world in which evil is pervasive.
In the Jewish faith, the Festival of Lights commemorates Hanukkah. Hanukkah recognizes the day that Maccabean Jews rededicated the temple after regaining control of Jerusalem. For eight nights, a new flame is kindled on the Menorah, symbolizing a divine and persistent light amidst the darkness of our ever-changing world.
The African American community celebrates Kwanzaa, a day that commemorates African culture, spirit and traditions. The practice of lighting seven candles recognizes age-old principles enshrined in the memory of the African culture. The holiday commemorates values and concepts of ancestors, preserving its customs and resilient spirit.
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Consistent with these traditions, one of my favorite biblical passages comes from the book of Matthew 5:14. In this passage, Jesus gave one of his profound Sermon on the Mount before a crowd of hundreds. Jesus explained that in spite of the flaws intrinsic to our humanity, that each of us possesses an everlasting light. “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others,” he said, “that others may see your good deeds.” This passage is unique as it shows us that Jesus did not consider himself the only “light” of the world. In fact, this passage demonstrates that, despite our inevitable shortcomings that come with being human, each and every one of us possesses a flame in the darkness of our ever-changing world.
The light that Jesus refers to is our vision, spirit and purpose. Like the parable of the flame above, each of us undoubtedly face moments in which our flames are tested with abrupt winds, discouraging rain and the forceful storms of failure.
We should never fail to let the light from our flames shine. Our flames will inevitably be put to the test by wind and rain — the discouragement of others, financial difficulties and the dim prospects of making our visions a reality. When darkness arises, we must remember the law of impermanence — that turbulent winds and rainstorms cannot last forever.
I truly believe that hope lives within each and every one of us. And, if we are willing to share it, we can experience hope on Earth daily. Let our holiday gift this year to the world be the very light from our flames. Together, let us light the world with a new hope.
A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan currently works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.
“Christmas” was originally a pagan observation of the season when the sun turned and days became longer again. When Christianity came along, this popular tradition was seen as unwelcome competition for the masses and originally outlawed for the faithful. Failing to obliterate the event, Christians eventually decided to jump on the band wagon and celebrate along with non-Christians, eventually taking it over more and more and making it into a, - and even declare a “war” on their religious observation, partly based on the incorrect dating of the birth of Jesus Christ, whether a historical figure or not. It is perfectly all right to celebrate together, whether Christian or not, but preposterous for the believers to take it over and declare it exclusively theirs! It is fine to put a religious spin on it if you so prefer, but no one has a right to claim ownership of a tradition that was never theirs! The unfortunate thing is the name “Christmas”, which of course has religious connotation. It is only in English that the event is called by a religious name; in just about every other language the event has a non-religious label, for example the equivalent of “Yuletide’ in the Scandinavian countries. There, the event is rather secular in nature, but with religious overtones for those who prefer. Thus, the event is all-inclusive, offending no one.
Jorg - this may come as a surprise to you coming from me. My brother is a Roman Catholic priest and a historian. He agrees with your observation that the holiday in question, though not hijacked, was assumed by Christians for convenience sake. Indeed the birth date of Jesus Christ is unknown as was reported by various evangelists, including Lucas and John. Few languages have the name Christ in them for Christmas, to wit Noel, Navidad, Weinachten, all have to do with new life or new seasons. That is where the association with Christ as the new born (e.g. El Nino) came from. Merry Christmas!
This year, December, a month that encompasses the Christian and Jewish celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah, includes spiritually significant days for Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans and Zoroastrians
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(5) comments
Jonathan, a most precious message. Merry Christmas.
“Christmas” was originally a pagan observation of the season when the sun turned and days became longer again. When Christianity came along, this popular tradition was seen as unwelcome competition for the masses and originally outlawed for the faithful. Failing to obliterate the event, Christians eventually decided to jump on the band wagon and celebrate along with non-Christians, eventually taking it over more and more and making it into a, - and even declare a “war” on their religious observation, partly based on the incorrect dating of the birth of Jesus Christ, whether a historical figure or not. It is perfectly all right to celebrate together, whether Christian or not, but preposterous for the believers to take it over and declare it exclusively theirs! It is fine to put a religious spin on it if you so prefer, but no one has a right to claim ownership of a tradition that was never theirs! The unfortunate thing is the name “Christmas”, which of course has religious connotation. It is only in English that the event is called by a religious name; in just about every other language the event has a non-religious label, for example the equivalent of “Yuletide’ in the Scandinavian countries. There, the event is rather secular in nature, but with religious overtones for those who prefer. Thus, the event is all-inclusive, offending no one.
Jorg - this may come as a surprise to you coming from me. My brother is a Roman Catholic priest and a historian. He agrees with your observation that the holiday in question, though not hijacked, was assumed by Christians for convenience sake. Indeed the birth date of Jesus Christ is unknown as was reported by various evangelists, including Lucas and John. Few languages have the name Christ in them for Christmas, to wit Noel, Navidad, Weinachten, all have to do with new life or new seasons. That is where the association with Christ as the new born (e.g. El Nino) came from. Merry Christmas!
God jul, or if you prefer: Vrolijk kerstfees
This year, December, a month that encompasses the Christian and Jewish celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah, includes spiritually significant days for Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans and Zoroastrians
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