The oil lasted eight days, not one, so that the ritual of purification could be completed. At Hanukkah, this miracle is celebrated by our Jewish beloved all around the world. Who made this magic happen and how? That is not for us to know. We can appreciate the power of miracle and magic that resonates through the years.
What stories of miracles and magic do you celebrate?
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
-Howard Thurman
Participate in the work of Christmas today, whatever your spiritual or religious background.
In the ancient story celebrated by our Christian beloved, today is the last day of Mary’s pregnancy. In her womb, the baby Jesus was gestating. Gestation and birth are thought of as science now, but aren’t they also some kind of magic? The formation of an entire being from two simple cells? And you, too, are magic, having been formed in this way.
Revel in the magic that is our being today.
Who is to argue that the spiritual is not magical and could even be examined, measured, and understood by using some sort of device or mathematical concept? Bacteria, cells, and atoms were completely unknown to us 2000 years ago. Instead, any illness was attributed to magic of a force from the gods. Why should the spirit or any magical force not be subject to such open minded scrutiny? -Liam Heimm (a CLF member incarcerated in SC)
Tell us about a time something mysterious or magical to you wound up having an explanation.
“We light this chalice, here in the darkness of winter as we wait.
This temporary space is one filled with prayers to be answered,
love to be given and received, miracles to be witnessed.
May this light guide us until the light of the sun returns again.” -JeKaren Olaoya
Light a candle and fill the darkness with prayers.
