December 25, 2013
by Fr. Ron Calhoun
CHRISTMAS 2013
By far the most popular decorations of the Christmas Season are lights. Whether it is the single white candle in every window, or the more elaborate displays of decorated shrubs and trees, housetops and door posts, or of course the Christmas tree itself which graces almost every home; what would Christmas cheer be without the lights.
And as it happens light is also the most symbolic of Christmas decorations. All that brightness which illuminates the dark, all because of one light so many, many years ago, a star that settled over a small stable where the newborn savior of the world was born. That star shined down and beckoned others to come and see: the shepherds from the hilltops and the three kings from the east.
There is nothing as bright as the stars on a cold winter’s night. When the sky is clear it feels like you can reach out and touch them. December is the darkest month of the year, the winter solstice the shortest day. And into that season arrives a light so bright it shatters all night and darkness.
Light is also associated with warmth and welcome. All those candle lit windows whet the appetite on a cold winter’s night, for the warmth within: a blazing hearth, a family gathering, a loving embrace. All of which are also symbolic of that first Christmas night.
God sends His son into the world to envelop us with the warmth and welcome of His love made flesh; the generosity of His gift; and the fulfillment of His promises.
More than two thousand years later we continue to gather in the warmth and brightness of this lighted church beckoned by that star which points to that magical and mystical moment in history. We continue to stand in awe at that stable; and we continue to long for that message of love and welcome.
May this Christmas brighten our hearts and our lives, and may we continue to follow that star in the years ahead.
Merry Christmas!