The Light Shines in the Darkness
Sermon preached on the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, 2024 by Fr. Antony Hughes
Contemplate tonight the secret recreation of all things by the birth of God. Tonight is the night of the Nativity of the Compassionate One, the Shepherd of creation, the Advent of the Incarnation of all that humanity has dreamed of and longed for. Enter the Great Mystery. Enter the Great Silence. Hear the heartbeat of God. It is possible because He has become united to us so completely His heartbeat has become ours. Be still and know this. Quiet the internal dialogue so you can hear what the Spirit is saying to the world.
"This Nativity," writes St. Isaac of Syria, "has brought peace to the whole world."
With all the turmoil in the world, in Ukraine, in Africa, and in Palestine, both Gaza and the West Bank, and in Syria, the contemporary land of martyrdom, where so many of our sisters and brothers face an uncertain future, one wonders whether St Isaac would be able to say that today.
I say yes because he saw the world through different eyes than we do. St Isaac invites us to share his vision. The peace of the Nativity is not forced on the world. God does not do that. He does not dominate the world like a tyrant, he invites us like a long-suffering Father to enter his perspective willingly. His peace lies deep in the cosmos like yeast and breaks through everywhere. Just as it lies deep in the heart of creation so it does in each and every heart. The cracks in the cosmos mirror the cracks in us, but it is through the cracks that the light shines through.
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God."
For example, some rail against the commercialization of Christmas. They certainly have a point. The true meaning of the Season can seem lost under all the decorations and shopping. On the other hand, all of that seemingly extraneous stuff has a spiritual catalyst. Were it not for the Incarnation would there be Christmas trees, lights, tinsel and Santa Clauses all over the world? Including in countries where Christianity is not the predominant, or even a welcome, religion? Even in Islamic countries Santas and Christmas trees pop up in city squares. The light shines through the cracks in our worldviews.
As usual there is another way to see it. The yeast finds a little warmth and moisture and then makes the dough rise. Everywhere there are cracks where the light comes through. It is inevitable. God's word never returns to him void, that is, without accomplishing its mission. The Holy Trinity is everywhere present. We must not be afraid to leave the ideological bubbles we live in to see what lies beneath the rubble of our own thoughts and opinions and cacophonous internal dialogues.
"The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overwhelm it."
Christ brings peace that the world cannot give. It is a different kind of peace, not like the signing of a treaty. The peace of God is more like the quiet of a clear mountain lake in which the sky can be seen in its blue brilliance. It is the peace that comes when the chaos of our thoughts is allowed to settle and at long last we invite our minds to rest from their anxious labor. The dull roar of the incessant internal dialogue dims and disappears. And the blessed sacrament of stillness bathes us and rises like dough opening an aperture in the soul for the light of Christ to seep through. Then we are able to see beneath the tinsel and discover that it is like a Trojan Horse. Or, even better perhaps, a virus. Wherever it finds a congenial host it digs in and releases its viral load. The camel's nose is under the tent. The genie is out of the bottle. Just try and put it back. The radiance of the Christmas Season reflects the radiance of the Lord wherever and however it is celebrated.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it."
God is the original decorator of his creation even a pagan decorator is mirroring him no matter how feeble the design. As Thomas Merton famously said, "everyone is walking around shining like the sun." Spreading the infectious joy of Christmas is a witness to His Birth.
The radiance of Christ is how the world is being transformed. Not by our eloquence or arguments, but by the presence of the Gospel that permeates all things.
Remember: the Lord and His Kingdom are within us. “We should be there with him”, wrote St Teresa of Avila. Tonight, as I always say, God is inviting us to rest our weary minds and sit with him in peaceful contemplation.
Go home, pour a glass of your favorite single malt, or hot cocoa, sit before your Christmas tree and contemplate the reason the tree is there. Celebrate Christmas with deeper attention. Dare to enter the Mystery.