Newgrange and 'The Light of the World'

In 2007 we had the wonderful experience of visiting the ancient burial site at Newgrange, Ireland. Situated on a rise near the River Boyne this large passage tomb was constructed around 3200BC. This makes it more than 600 years older than the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and 1,000 years more ancient than Stonehenge.

We weren’t there for the Winter Solstice, but every year on December 21, just after 9am, the sun begins to rise across the Boyne Valley and the sunlight strikes the front of the Newgrange mound which is faced with white quartzite rock. Above the entrance is an opening called ‘the roofbox’, which was specially designed to capture the rays of the sun.
The beam of light stretches into the 18m passage of Newgrange right into the central chamber of the 12m high mound, where, in Neolithic times stone basins held cremated human remains. With simple stone technology, these wonderful people captured a very significant astronomical moment in a most spectacular way.
It has been suggested the human ashes were placed there so that the path of the sunlight beam would allow the dead to communicate or connect with the sun god or that their spirits could travel up to the god along the path of sunlight.
So at the darkest time of the year the people found a way of using the sun to connect their spirits with their god.

I was thinking that Christmas is about a similar concept. Christ is the Light of the World sent by God to personally communicate with humanity – our guiding light.
We were taught that burning a candle would sent our prayers "up" to God. We still light candles, not to attract God’s attention, but as a tool and a reminder for ourselves that we are praying and communicating with our God.
And just as important, it is also a reminder that Christ is our light always ready to hear what we have to say even though God knows what is in our hearts without us having to speak it.
Prayer helps us to change for the better!

Newgrange