The Light of Christmas Within Me

The Light of Christmas Within Me

By Archimandrite Bartholomew
Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Esphigmenou

Christmas is coming.

I like the lights, the tables filled with food, the smiling people around me, the gifts. 
I like the celebration, the togetherness, the joy, the decorated streets, the brightly lit homes.

Christmas is coming.

And with it comes an invitation.
The Lord Christ is born again for everyone.
Humbly, in a manger. He insists on coming. He invites me.

Christmas is coming.

And yet, every year I think about the moment when the lights go out and the table is cleared; 

something inside me is lost. 
Often I remain in a superficial joy, and when the holidays pass, a quiet sadness finds me. 
Why? What is it that makes me, as if hypnotized, simply follow along?

Christmas is coming.

Why must I rejoice? What is it that draws me into this festive mood? 
Why do I rejoice only during this season and not strive to be joyful all the time? 
These thoughts constantly trouble me.

Christmas is coming.

I want to be joyful. But this is an inner state. It is cultivated only inwardly. 
Joy, peace, the light that every person longs for are not moments; they are a state, a way of life.
And without Christ they cannot endure. That is why He comes and invites me to be reborn with Him. 
To grow stronger inwardly, so that I may be able to take part in the feast together with my people. 
To share, to enjoy the festive table, the gifts, the lights. 

So that the joy will not be lost once the celebration ends.
Joy is the gift prepared for me by the One who invites me to His feast: Christ.

Christmas is coming.

This time I do not want lights to be lit only around me.
I want the light within me to remain lit.

Merry Christmas!

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.