Winter Solstice

Hark! my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills.  My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.  Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.  My lover speaks; he says to me, "Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come!  "For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! (Song of Songs 2:8-14)

Such a strange reading on this Saturday before Christmas!   Then again, perhaps not.  Today is the 21st of December and the Winter Solstice – the beginning of winter.   For Zodiac fans it’s the last day of Sagittarius, the Archer.  People born on 21st December belong to the Sagittarius-Capricorn Cusp. It is also referred to as the Cusp of Prophecy.  Tomorrow begins Capricorn, the Goat.   It’s a bit funny that those born on Christmas Day are Zodiac goats.  Therefore, they are to sit at Jesus’ left, not his right.   Only joking!

Most notable today is the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year in 2019.  In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest daily maximum elevation in the sky.  At the pole, there is continuous darkness or twilight around the winter solstice. Its opposite is the summer solstice.

Perhaps our first reading that says “winter is past…flowers appears on the earth…the song of the dove is heard” reflects optimism of things to come; that is, the days begin to lengthen, and we will have more light.   Clearly, winter is not past.  Nevertheless, we are about to celebrate Jesus’ birth and his light.   Christmas trees are aglow; candles are in the windows all reminding us of the light of Christ.

It’s time to celebrate and let love flow, or better yet, leap like a gazelle or a young stag.

Deacon David Pierce