Have you ever wondered why we put
candles in the windows at Christmastime?
Wonder no more. During the
seventeenth century, the British conquerors of Ireland implemented harsh laws
aimed at eradicating Irish traditions. Irishmen were forbidden to vote, send
their children to school, purchase land, or own a horse worth more than twenty-five
dollars. Irish priests were driven out of the land and warned never to return
under penalty of death.
On Christmas Eve, despite the iron
hand of their conquerors, Irish families of faith placed a single candle in
each of three windows—or three candles in one window—to represent Joseph, Mary,
and Jesus. These candles signaled to a traveling priest that the doors were
unlocked and he was welcome to come in, share a meal with the family, and
celebrate “Christ-mass.”
These Irish believers understood
that, in the words of the apostle John, Jesus is the Light that shines through
the darkness, “and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5). No matter
how many laws are enacted to try to snuff out the gathering of the saints, such
laws are no match for the Light of the World!
Excerpted from The Adventure of
Christmas by Lisa Whelchel
Daily Reflection: How can you be a light to the world?
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