After 20-plus years of not being allowed to go to Bethlehem, I finally had the opportunity to do so last month.
The small village of Bethlehem is about 5.5 miles from Jerusalem. In a matter of minutes you can travel from the light, the brightness, the beauty and cleanliness of the outskirts of Jerusalem, passing by the olive groves and the rolling hills of Judea, and enter into the dark and drab Palestinian territory and into the City of David, called Bethlehem.
Bethlehem, the small village where the Son of God was born, became the center of the universe 2,000 years ago – a bright light amid the darkness. This little village of no importance became the birthplace of hope and light to the world. Yet, this same little place may also become the center of darkness and the end of the world.
In order to venerate, appreciate and meditate upon the spot that our Lord was born, you have to wait about two hours in line and then only have barely 30 seconds to stop and reflect on what took place there 2,000 years ago.
Today, Bethlehem is separated by two nations that are related by our father Abraham, cut off from routine access by a wall that keeps most people out, except foreign tourists who are led there by special guides. It is sad that such a place, which brought the bright light of Jesus to the world, still sits today in the shadow of darkness.
Here we are about to celebrate Christmas, and the Prince of Peace is about to be born to us! Yet our world is torn by wars, great and small – each spreading terror, privation, hunger and death, and each an outrage to the God who is love.
These same battles that were fought there and in the past, unfortunately, are the same battles we fight in our daily lives. The powers of light and darkness that each and every one of us face every day – they are the struggles, the conflicts, the disagreements that we face on a daily basis, the frustration with a dysfunctional member of our family, an inflexible superior or a rigid co-worker, or maybe even a stubborn volunteer at the parish. We may think we are back at the time of Isaiah, walking among the people in the land of gloom and darkness, in a world on the brink of losing hope.
And that has not changed. Even as I stood, with pilgrims from all over the world, at one of the holiest places in the world, the site marking the place where our Lord was born, there is still conflict and darkness. As people try to take a moment to consider what took place at that spot where the Son of God, the Savior of the World, was born, they are pushed and shoved by pilgrims and visitors and then rushed out before they even had time to snap a picture.
Yet, Isaiah speaks of hope: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” God works even in darkness, and the evil-doing villains in the human family will never totally or permanently ruin His divine plan.
That is as long as we can hold onto the hope that no matter what is happening to us – and no matter what we may have done to others – God, the true light, will never abandon us.
Christ was born in the night and in darkness, so that He may bring day and light. So, too, we are invited to accept salvation and become people of the light, people who live in the day and who respond to His incredible love.
If we can manage to look through the darkness that can sneak up on us during this Christmas season (worries about money, family tensions, and many other stresses), and focus on the light that we have been promised, there is a wealth of joy to be found.
Joy is found in embracing life exactly as it presents itself – complete with its inconveniences. If we expect things to be always neat and perfect, our joy will be very limited. Real life is seldom neat and perfect. It’s filled with ups and downs, problems and blessings.
But there can be hope and joy during this Christmas. Many broken families will be reconciled and many separated friends will make peace, for the power of the Holy Spirit and the light of Christ will transform these souls from darkness to light. I am sure that even Joseph encountered problems with his family, but he reconciled… and took Mary into his home to be his wife.
So, no matter how messy and dark things may get, or how many troubles we encounter, despite the darkness, don’t let this Christmas go by without seeking the light. And with the dawning of the light of Christ, we can sing the very words that the angels spoke to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”
Merry Christmas!
Deacon David Reiser serves at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte. He recently returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.