Both Mick and I have the Menorah in our blogs this week. And we both focus on the symbolism of bringing light to the world. The Festival of Light in the Hebrew Faith reminds us that by depending on and following our faith, miracles happen. When there was only one more day's worth of oil in the Menorah, the concern was it wouldn't last. However, with prayer not only did the oil last another day, but eight days in total, allowing more oil to be pressed, thereby keeping the light from being extinguished.
How like the Menorah are we as people? Do we have a reserve of oil left in us somewhere to tide us over until we can get more? Is faith to us similar to a Menorah in that for most of us, our faith runs deep within us and allows us to shine through the darkness? Christ is our Light. He is that reservoir which fills us with faith. And it's this light which comes through in the way in which we live our lives, how we present ourselves to the world and to one another. Our joy should radiate through us as the light of the Menorah shown for the Ancient Hebrews. Jesus Christ is our Lighthouse - a beacon of light guiding the tired traveller home.
This Advent, we reflect upon our lives and events of the past year - what happened and how best to change the negatives into positives. Jesus' birth celebrates a rebirth in us and the coming New Year gives us the opportunity to make resolutions for positive change in our lives. But we should do that each day, not simply once a year. Life is a struggle. The world throws challenges at us daily and we must be prepared to deal with each and every one of them, with dignity and humanity. Others will not. But as people of faith, this is who we are and whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist (or another faith), our tenants are to respect others, not to criticize but to learn and grow. And forgiveness is essential. We may not like what other people do to us - it may even be criminal in nature, but although we can never forget what they did, we must be forgiving of their atrocity. Loving our enemies is a daunting task, but it is one of the things Jesus asks of us. If He could forgive those who crucified Him, how can we do less?
I am reminded of those who will not be with us this Christmas and for Mick and me, that's everyone we love. Our families don't live around here and there are many members of our family who have departed for Heaven, where they will celebrate in magnificent style. It's not about the gift giving, as we no longer do that, but about being with those we love and sharing the Good News of the Birth of Jesus Christ - the Light who came into the world to save us. Right now I miss our cat Tyler who I am holding in the photo at left. He adored Christmas trees and the lights. He was always my little light that never seemed to dim. And he would never run away when I took out my rosary to pray, either. Simon Peter was the same way. Both cats would sit and listen to my prayers or when I would read from the Bible or Missal. Could they have been simply kitty polite? Or did they really understand? We'll never know. What I do know, my life must be a reflection of who Christ wants me to be. That takes a lot of work. And that's what Advent is all about.
