The Light of the Infant Jesus

The streets are beautiful this time of year. Homes and shops are decorated with colorful lights and festive decorations. Cities and town are filled with life as people prepare for the coming of Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas today has become more of a commercial festivity than a religious one. The dazzling lights we display often hide the mystery of God’s light, love, and humility.

Beauty in Darkness

This became especially clear to me one Christmas about three years ago. We were hit by a severe ice storm just as winter began. We lost all power only days before Christmas. We woke up to find our homes dark and cold. Trees and power lines had fallen and blocked streets and sidewalks. Roads and rooftops were covered with a thick layer of ice. Yet, despite all the anxiety this storm caused, there was a glittering beauty to this scene. It almost looked like a winter scene on a Christmas card, but in a cold, eerie way.

The power outage lasted for several days in my neighborhood, but for others it lasted for over a week. Many in the neighbourhood left to find shelter elsewhere, with friends or relatives, in shelters or hotels.  Those who were unable to leave waited in their homes, struggling to find warmth. They tried to make the best of the difficult situation and shared what blankets and food they had. There were no street lights, no Christmas lights, no lights in windows, only darkness. You needed candles and flashlights to find your way at night.

That Christmas brought out the best in people. Neighbors helped the elderly who were unable to leave their homes. They invited the temporarily homeless to share their Christmas festivities with them. They even held a candlelight vigil for a homeless man who had died outside in the cold. Normally, his death would have gone unnoticed, but on this occasion people came together to remember him and pray for him.

That Christmas, I was reminded of the humility of Jesus’ birth and I discovered the light that He came to bring.

Jesus: The Light of the World

Without any Christmas lights, Christmas seemed to be missing something important. Light is an important Christmas symbol. The festive lights we turn on and the candles we light are signs of hope. They represent Jesus, the light of the world. Jesus stated, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). When Jesus was presented in the temple, the prophet Simeon described him as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32).  

Light is mysterious and often represents God’s presence and guidance. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of God as light. He said, “The Lord shall be your light forever” (Isaiah 60:19). It is a fitting symbol for Jesus. Light itself provides warmth and comfort. Jesus consoles us when we face difficulties and gives us strength when we are discouraged. Physical light is necessary to sustain life. Sunlight provides the heat and light needed to support people, plants and animals. Jesus provides us with the spiritual light necessary to nourish us and give us true life. Lack of sunlight can cause some people to suffer from depression, a condition which affects them during winter when the days are shorter. It affects their emotional well-being and their quality of life. Jesus gives us peace and true joy, both now and for all eternity. The light of a single candle can light your way in a dark room. It does not overcome the darkness, but it does guide your steps as you walk. Jesus is this light, illuminating our path when we face difficulties and pain.

That Christmas I discovered that the light Jesus gives us is His love, and this love is the light which alone can overcome the darkness in the world.  This profound, tender love is exemplified in Jesus’ birth in a humble stable, with only the affection of Mary and Joseph to keep him warm. The light of His love is the light which should shine in our hearts. It is a light which offers us comfort and helps us guide and comfort others.  During his Christmas Eve homily in 2005, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI stated:

In the stable of Bethlehem there appeared the great light which the world awaits. In that Child lying in the stable, God has shown his glory – the glory of love, which gives itself away, stripping itself of all grandeur in order to guide us along the way of love. The light of Bethlehem has never been extinguished. In every age it has touched men and women, “it has shone around them.” Wherever people put their faith in that Child, charity also sprang up – charity towards others, loving concern for the weak and the suffering, the grace of forgiveness.

Jesus: The Bread of Life

That Christmas reminded us all of a winter night over 2000 years ago when Mary and Joseph did not receive hospitality in Bethlehem on a cold winter night. We thought of the difficulties they faced and the simplicity in which Jesus was born. A manger or feeding trough served as His crib. Jesus, who would become our bread and nourishment, was laid in a structure to hold food for animals. Those who were invited by the angels to welcome His coming were not the prominent religious and political leaders of His day. Instead, the angels invited shepherds, people considered to be lowly and unrefined, outcasts of society. The shepherds responded immediately and enthusiastically to this heavenly invitation. They said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15).

Jesus, who found no hospitality when He was born, would later host a dinner for His disciples. He would offer them, and the whole world by extension, His Body and Blood to satisfy the hunger of those hungry for peace and love (Luke 22:14-20).

We were very lucky that year. Miraculously on Christmas Eve power was restored to our neighbourhood just as we sat down for dinner. Our heating and lights returned just in time for Christmas. For me, that Christmas was a time when I was able to look beyond the artificial lights which normally decorate our homes and neighborhoods. I was able to rediscover the light of the infant Jesus.

The light that shone in that simple stable in Bethlehem can continue to shine in our hearts today. It can be a light that guides us and shines before others. Let us ask God to help us look beyond the artificial decorations of the season and focus simply on the Child placed in a manger in Bethlehem. It is only in Him that we can discover true light and true joy.