A Liturgy for the Night
December 21, 2023 is the northern winter solstice when we experience the longest night of the year. For Lois Huey-Heck, solstice is an event that invites contemplation on the mysteries of birth, life, death, and rebirth. The long nights are perfect for dreaming, drawing close to the spiritual world, and visioning — all of which seed the future. She says, “The womb of the longest, darkest night (the winter solstice) becomes the birth canal toward a new season and the return of light and life. It’s completely natural that our spiritual ancestors understood that the winter solstice and the birth of Love belong together.
In this blog post, Pádraig Ó Tuama shares a liturgy that helps us appreciate darkness in a new way. Ó Tuama is an Irish poet, theologian, and conflict mediator.
A Liturgy for the Night
by Pádraig Ó Tuama
On the first night God said: 'Let there be darkness.' And God separated light from dark; and in the dark, the land rested, the people slept, and the plants breathed, the world retreated. The first night.
And God said that it was good.
On the second night God said: 'There will be conversations that happen in the dark that can't happen in the day.' The second night.
And God said that it was good.
On the third night God said: 'Let there be things that can only be seen by night.' And God created stars and insects and luminescence. The third night.
And God said that it was good.
On the fourth night God said: 'Some things that happen in the harsh light of day will be troubled. Let there be a time of rest to escape the raw light.' The fourth night.
And God said that it was good.
On the fifth night, God said: 'There will be people who will work by night, whose light will be silver, whose sleep will be by day and whose labour will be late.' And God put a softness at the heart of the darkness. The fifth night.
And God said that it was good.
And on the sixth night God listened. And there were people working, and people crying, and people seeking shadow, and people telling secrets, and people aching for company. There were people aching for space and people aching for solace. And God hoped that they'd survive. And God made twilight, and shafts of green to hang from the dark skies, small comforts to accompany the lonely, the joyous, the needy and the needed. The sixth night.
And God said that it was good.
And on the last night, God rested. And the rest was good. The rest was very good.
And God said that it was very good.
– from Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community. Used with permission.
