Page 5 - Ludlow Tower January 2023

BETTER To LIGHT A CANDLE THAN

CURSE THE DARK*

Lots of people I know don't Boris Pasternak in Dr Zhivago
like the short hours of daylight revealed the brutal truth
at this time of year, the behind the Russian revolution

darkness as we get up, and the and the civil war which
long dark evenings. It's very followed; he was awarded the
understandable - but there is Nobel Prize for Literature as
something we can do about it: a result but was prevented
light a candle - literally or from receiving it and died

metaphorically. shortly afterwards. Ai Weiwei,
In spite of the joy of the Chinese artist and anti-

celebrating the birth of God government campaigner,
as a human being in Jesus once constructed a great memorial
again, we all know that we still to the 5,200 children who
live in a very dark world. We died in the Sichuan
believe that Jesus is the earthquake of 200 when many

Saviour of the world, but alas school buildings collapsed
all too few people appear to because they had been
share that belief. Ours is a constructed badly. He was
world in which there is human severely beaten up and injured
suffering on a massive scale - by police and now has to live
some of it caused by natural in exile abroad.
disasters because we humans But we Christians follow one

are wrecking the climate of who trusted in God to deliver
our world, and some of it him and who confronted his
caused by deliberate cruelty rulers because he saw that the
and destruction on a huge instrument of God's love for
scale by oppressive regimes everyone, including the

and in war. It is easy to feel poorest and most vulnerable -
completely despairing about the Jewish Law - was being
the future of the human race. turned into an exclusive club

Yet, here and there, we find for the super-religious. That
individuals who are was a betrayal of God's
determined not to lose hope purpose. He was tortured to
in spite of facing huge death on a Roman cross, but

challenges, who know that in his resurrection God
human life is about freedom showed that Jesus was right all
and justice for all and that this along. Praise Him!
wonderful planet can provide Peter Cope
more than enough for us all. *Eleanor Roosevelt

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