“Let there be light!”
These are God’s first words to us in the Book of Genesis, the opening book of the Bible: “Let there be light!” as He gazed upon the darkness and commenced the sacred enterprise of His creation of the heavens and the earth. And He saw that it was good.
Christmas is indeed a feast of light, as is Chanukah, which begins tonight for our Jewish neighbors.
Imagine the darkness of the world that first Christmas in Bethlehem, the City of David. It came at the darkest time of the year, when the light of day shrinks as the sun reaches its lowest point. A carpenter and his pregnant wife were forced to make the arduous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to enroll in the required census.
Midnight Mass goers last evening would have heard Isaiah speak poetically about it, in that famous and beautiful passage from God’s holy word, the Bible: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
The shepherds are dazzled by the glorious radiance of the angels; the wise men are led by the brightness of a luminous star; Mary and Joseph are warmed by a fire in a barn, for there was, sadly, no room in the inn for the birth of the promised one.
Admit it: we find ourselves in darkness. It’s there, isn’t it, in our world, our city, our country, within our families, and, let’s be honest, within ourselves. It’s nearly impossible to pick up a newspaper these days without feeling overwhelmed by the negativity, the division, the violence, the bleakness of it all! It’s easy to despair, to give up hope.
But today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who would tell us “I am the light of the world.” God so loved the world He did not send us a drone! God so loved the world that He sent us His Son, the “light of the world!”
My rabbinical friends tell me it is much the same with the celebration of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights. You probably know the story. When the Jewish people refused to worship the gods of their oppressors, the Syrian king ordered his troops to destroy the Temple of Jerusalem. The oil for their lamps was gone. Rather than be despondent over their plight, they went in search of oil but found only enough for one day. Miraculously, that one day’s supply of oil lasted for eight days! The hope of the Jewish people was fulfilled.
Another, more recent story. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was in Paris, the City of Light, for the rededication of the renowned church consecrated to the Mother of the Light of the World, Our Lady, Notre Dame, Mary.
One of the highpoints was the procession of the heroic firefighters of Paris who saved most of the structure in that work of art.
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, told us that, when the firefighters arrived, the flames were so fierce and the smoke so blinding that they were cautioned not to risk going in.
“You will be blinded by the thick smoke! You will be unable ever to find your way in or out!”
The fire chief smiled: “We know this church very, very well! We inspect it frequently! We know every corner and crevice! We know how to get in and how to get out.” And, with tremendous faith and great hope, in they went, and helped preserve this monument to the faith of the people of France so that it might be rebuilt and restored, miraculously, in five short years.
This Christmas, we can shout with joy: “We know our God well!” He came to us humbly, as a baby in a manger, forced to flee into exile in Egypt to escape the murderous king whose jealousy drove him to try and destroy this newborn King of the Jews.
Yes, we know our God well. We believe He is the Lord of Light, not of darkness! We know we entered life through Him, walk it guided by Him, and leave under His providence. It may seem that darkness is everywhere, but it shall not prevail!
Because we have a God whose first word was “Let there be light!” Today, we celebrate the birth of the one who assured us, “I am the light of the world!”
A blessed Chanukah and joyful Christmas to you all!
Dolan is archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York.
