And so we enter the most joyous season, the season of light and love, the season of generosity and care for others, the season of Christ. And we can tell of his name, after all it is Christmas; we can proclaim his name with rejoicing.  We welcome at Christmas the gift of light amidst a great deal of darkness. 

Of the many trappings of this season of light, scented candles are among my favorites. I like the flickering light and the fragrance lofting, kind of like a background of prayer, there all the time, noticed sometimes, and other times not.  I like Advent wreaths, and I like Christmas Eve candle light Masses.  When I was a pastor it was said I spent too much money on candles.  But I would argue, if we are to be the light of the world, it won’t work if we try to be the faint energy efficient lights of the world. We need to be the light of Christ.

What message might this great evening we await – the evening of the Nativity – offer for our young people?  Often they, and we, take light for granted.  Flick a switch.  Clap on, clap off.  Light comes on and off, and yet that is not the real light that we, and our young people, seek.

The Holy Father was very much aware of this when he addressed the youth of Germany this past September.  He said, “Light does not remain alone. All around, other lights are flaring up. In their gleam, space acquires contours, so that we can find our bearings. We do not live alone in this world. And it is for the important things of life that we have to rely on other people.

Particularly in our faith, then, we do not stand alone. We are links in the great chain of believers. Nobody can believe unless he is supported by the faith of others, and conversely, through my faith, I help to strengthen others in their faith. We help one another to set an example, we give others a share in what is ours: our thoughts, our deeds, our affections. And we help one another to find our bearings, to work out where we stand in society.” 

That is the essential message for our young people.  Find the light that gives truth.  Find the real light; not the most glaring, not the most entertaining, not the most alluring, but the only light that brings truth.  In the prologue to his Gospel St. John speaks eloquently about the light, and calls us to value that real, and true, and beautiful light that is the radiant light of Christ.  Encourage our young people to see it in the flickering light of Christmas, in the radiant light of the Baby Jesus, shining from the manger.

There is darkness, and clamour, and noise all around us.  This Christmas let us seek the silence, so foreign in a world where everyone seems to have a listening device permanently mounted in their ear. Silence the noise, invite your children to do the same, difficult as that might be, and tell them the story of the true light, Jesus born in darkness to shine in our hearts and in our lives.

Merry Christmas to you all.  Or even better, “Hodie Christus Natus es, Alleluia!.” “Today, Christ is born! Alleluia!”

Father Freer is the diocese’s vicar for Catholic education.