As we move through the holiday season, we have much from the religions and cultures of the world to remember and reflect on. At this time, Christians are remembering the birth of a holy child who brings liberation to a world suffering under oppression and the power of empire; Jews are celebrating the rededication of the Temple after the Seleucids’ attempts to desecrate the Temple and force Jews to assimilate to the dominant Greek culture they lived within; pagans are celebrating the coming of longer days after a cold, dark winter; Indian religions celebrated the power of the inner light within through the lighting of lamps at the end of October; people of African descent celebrate the values and survival of African Americans throughout our history; and people of all religious, spiritual, racial and secular identities are celebrating the coming of a New Year. As we think about all these celebrations, what common threads do we see that we can appreciate and learn from, no matter what our religious identity or culture is?
The first common thread among these traditions, I think, is hope — hope for the future and hope for liberation in the midst of life difficulties and oppression. Jesus brings hope of liberation from Roman occupation; Hanukkah evokes hope of cultural survival among pressures for Jews to assimilate to the dominant culture; the winter solstice celebration involves hope for longer, brighter days and often includes rituals that give voice to one’s hopes for the upcoming new year; Diwali reminds people of Indian religions of the hope that one’s inner light can conquer evil and ignorance in difficult circumstances; Kwanzaa, by remembering African Americans’ survival in past circumstances, gives hope that African Americans will continue to survive despite the oppression, racism and bigotry they so often face; and the New Year’s celebration evokes hope that the new year will be better than the last one.
As we move through the holiday season, then, let us hold on to hope. Even in our worst circumstance, hope reminds us that struggle, evil, fear and hatred do not have the final word. Hope allows us to see that a delightful future is possible even when all the evidence seems to point to the contrary. Let us hold on to hope and let that hope lead us into action, so that we can be co-creators of the future we desire.
With hope, faith, joy and love.
Matthew Villarreal is an Evans resident.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Matthew Villarreal: This holiday season, let us hold onto hope )
Also on site :