In the shadow of the Bondi massacre, Christmas and Hanukkah sit side by side this year. Acts of courage and faith remind us how light is kept alive in dark times.

Christmas is a time when even the most secular Australians turn their thoughts to family, peace, justice and the hope that life can be changed permanently for those who suffer loneliness, war, injustice and despair. For those of a secular mindset, these changes can be wrought only by human effort, and are limited by same. Some people with no religious faith or sensibility spend their lives seeking such changes – with herculean effort, courage, and hope against all odds.

Those with religious beliefs can find energy, hope and direction seeking these changes by reflecting on their religious traditions and praying to their God. Christians on Christmas night, just like the shepherds in the field on that first Christmas night, rejoice at the birth of Jesus, the one who embodies these hopes. On Christmas night, it is customary for Christians to read from the prophet Isaiah in the Jewish scriptures:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have........

© Pearls and Irritations