By Helen Heath, Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network development officer
With the recent lifting of some restrictions and the anticipated hope of more to come, a gentle sigh of relief is slowly rippling, cautiously, outwardly.
Perhaps a shy glimmer of light in the darkness.
A light in the darkness was a ritual participated in by people of faith as the last light of the last day of winter faded.
People of all faiths – and none – stood in their front gardens spending some time in silence and lit a candle to remember all those who have lost their lives to the Coronavirus or to violence.
They shared a thought for the exhausted front-line healthcare workers who have risked their lives and that of their families to fight the virus outbreak.
As the first night of spring began, the future was looked to with prayer and hope in a collective movement from the cold and the dark into warmth and light.
A Chinese Proverb says “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” – the candle symbolising the coming of spring, of renewal and growth and the constant presence of a Spirit that transcends us all.
It does not take much to light a candle but the resolve to receive the light as a sign of hope asks much of us.
When wearied and despairing, it takes courage and persistence to resolve viewing things differently and at odds to what our experience has shown us – indeed with what we tell ourselves.
It is just not that easy.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist has said: “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.”
Showing kindness to those we meet every day or casting a smile as we go about our ordinary business or lending an ear to one whose fear is their darkness, is like lighting a candle.
We do not know how wide the light will spread but we light it so it shines for all.
In the midst of her own personal hiding in horror, Anne Frank was able to say: “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
May a light dawn as readily as day comes, and let us together, in the days ahead, ‘light a candle’ for each other to dispel the darkness.
