This season, the boundaries of darkness are pushed back. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. Darkness has always been a potent metaphor for those things in life that oppress and enthrall us, frighten and intimidate us, cause us worry and anxiety and leech the joy from our lives.

We know darkness in our physical lives when illness is close at hand, when we lack the basic necessities of life -- food, shelter and clothing. We know darkness in our emotional lives when we are burdened with worry, confusion, fear, grief, guilt or hopelessness; when we live with violence or addiction or both. We know darkness in our social lives when relationships fail, when the blessing of solitude gives way to the burden of loneliness, when we cannot make meaningful c…