In the late seventh and early eighth century, a monk called Venerable Bede lived. He never traveled far from where he was born in England and spent his whole life devoted to prayer and sharing the Scripture. He died on the eve of the Feast of Ascension in 735 AD.
He made the most charming observation and asked why the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is set near the Summer solstice and the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus is set near the Winter solstice?
His answer is this: He must increase, but I must decrease. So after the Nativity of St. John, the light begins to diminish, whereas, after the Nativity of our Lord, the light begins to grow. He saw in this very natural occurrence great wisdom in the way the Church set these feasts, so to lead us to ponder more than the light of the Sun but Instead, the light that is Jesus Christ Himself, who is the light of men.
-Pr. Will Weedon
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