Wishes of Light and Hope in December

December is a multi-holiday month! A time of year when folks of various convictions and faith traditions commemorate moments in history that offer their people hope and inspiration:  

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·      Hanukkah (celebrated this year from December 18 to December 26) commemorates when the Jewish people in ancient times overcame their Greek oppressors—symbolized by the progressive lighting of eight different candles, intensifying the warmth and light with each passing day.

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·      Christmas (celebrated December 25) commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, embraced in Christian tradition as a “light that shines out of darkness,” offering hope and guidance to people’s hearts.

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·      And Shabeh Yalda (literally meaning “night of rebirth” in Persian) is when Iranians (and people of neighboring countries) hail the evening of December 20, or “the Winter Solstice.” This date is the longest night of the year, marking the end of when nights grow successively longer and longer and the start of when days will grow longer instead. A date that symbolically marks a time when light begins to overcome darkness. A kind of rebirth.

In this season, when people all over the world are waiting for light to prevail, may we each find what we need or the light we are seeking—especially the peoples of Iran and Ukraine at this time.