Bishop Doran: “A Light has shone … The promise of Christmas is of peace to all who enjoy his favour”
Homily
I have always loved images of darkness and light; sunrise, sunset, light and shade in a landscape or on water. The great painter Caravaggio uses light and darkness to great effect. In paintings like the “Vocation of Matthew” and the “Supper at Emmaus”, the central characters are shown to us in the light, to emphasise their importance to the story and to get us thinking about the spiritual drama that is going on, in them, between them, and also in us.
I think there is something deep down in all of us that draws hope from light. Light speaks to us of life and continuity. Thousands of years ago our ancestors understood this, and they built places like the passage grave at Newgrange, and the stone circle at Stonehenge so that, even in the darkest days of winter, they could “capture” the light. They knew instinctively that the light came from some power far beyond themselves. With the coming of electricity, of course, we can turn night into day, at the flick of a switch. We can use it to create atmosphere, but perhaps it also takes some of the mystery out of things. Perhaps we even begin to think of ourselves as the source of power.
In our first reading, this evening, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the Isaiah prophesies the coming of a great light: “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.”
In the Bible, darkness is a symbol of sin and death. For Isaiah, the people who walked in darkness were the Hebrew people, living in exile in Babylon. During those seventy years away from Jerusalem, they came to recognise that their society had collapsed, because they had ceased to live as the people of God. Their time of exile became a time of conversion and renewal when the light of faith broke through the darkness, and they rediscovered their identity as the people of God. That was when they came home.
The symbol of light in the darkness also appears in the Gospel. In the fields around Bethlehem the “glory of the Lord” shines upon the shepherds. “They were terrified, but the angel said, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus, the light of the world, has come, not to destroy, but to give life; not to bind us, but to set us free. The promise of Christmas is of “peace to all who enjoy his favour”.
Peace is another of the great themes associated with the Birth of Christ. Long before the Nativity, Isaiah prophesies about how the “rod of the oppressor” will be broken; how all the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood, is burnt and consumed by fire. In a world that seems to be continually at war, we struggle with the concept of peace. We wonder when will God eventually do something. I think that is the wrong question. God has already done something. It is just that we have not understood what He has done. As Saint John says in the prologue of his Gospel (which will be proclaimed at Mass tomorrow):
“The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.”
The child who is born for us, in fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah, is the Prince of Peace. In the human nature of Jesus, a simple child, God reaches out to us and offers us his peace, drawing us into a new relationship with him. In his life and ministry, Jesus shows us what it means to be in right relationship: justice, mercy, respect, tenderness. Peace comes when, in imitation of God and in the name of Jesus, we reach out to build right relationships with one another. It is not just the signing of treaties, or the cessation of hostilities. Some few of us may be in a position to contribute directly to world peace, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us can do nothing at local level.
For us who believe in Jesus, peace is an attitude and a decision that we make, flowing from the gift that we have received from God in Jesus Christ. In all of challenging situations that touch our lives and the lives of those around us, we need to ask ourselves prayerfully, where is God in this situation, and what would he want me to do?
I think it would be true to say that it is only when we are at peace with ourselves that we can be in right relationship with others.
“Peace is flowing like a river,
flowing out of you and me.
Flowing out into the desert,
setting all the captives free” (Cary Landry).
Over these days, many of us will give and receive gifts. On a human level, it is nice to be remembered, and it is good to have a way to express our appreciation of others, as long as it does not get out of hand. Jesus is God’s gift to us and in the end He is the only gift we need, because it is He who shines His light into the dark places of our world and brings us the peace of knowing that we are truly loved for who we are.
Just this morning, I was explaining to a few of the Sisters from overseas that, in the coming weeks, they might hear people saying “isn’t there a great stretch in the evening.” As you notice the days growing longer, perhaps you might pause for a moment to give thanks to God who has sent His Son to be the light of the world.
ENDS
- Bishop Kevin Doran is Bishop of Achonry and of Elphin. This homily was delivered by Bishop Doran on Christmas Eve during 7.00pm Mass at Saint Nathy’s Cathedral, Ballaghaderreen, in the Diocese of Achonry, and during 10.00pm Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo, in the Diocese of Elphin.