Christmas is the season of hope. It is a light in the darkness of winter, symbolised in the glow of the candle. The Celts honoured the winter solstice on 21st December, the darkest and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, as an awesome time and a powerful symbol of light penetrating darkness.
Christmas, the birth of Jesus, was set to synchronize with the December solstice when earth was in its darkest moment and so, Jesus, the Light of the World, entered our world at this point bringing hope. Isaiah spoke about: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. On those who live in a land of deep shadow, a light has shone.”
Sr Rebecca Conlon, Columban Sisters