It’s that time of year. Christmas trees, faerie lights, a sense of longing and belonging. For many, a period of celebration, of looking back, of looking forward. For others, a period of sadness, a beloved lost, a family that never was, a world gone forever. And for yet others, a loss of all meaning. The world is in turmoil. Wars everywhere, with some receiving ample media attention and others fought in obscurity. Oil fights identity. In the West, three parties vie for power: a Christendom that seems irrelevant, an Islam on the rise, and a liberal nihilism partially cause, partially result of the previous two. In other parts of the world, liberalism seems insignificant, unless one realizes its true power lies in its control of the media. There are actual genocides happening in the world today, actual eradications of tribe, religion, and culture – just not where you are told to look. Manipulation is a powerful tool – the pen is mightier than the sword.
Intellectually too, the West is struggling. ‘Woke’ is reputedly in decline, yet at universities it is very much alive, both in the humanities and the sciences. It is a sad time to be an academic and still believe in objective truth, in facts, in scientific integrity and honesty. To believe that the best thing that can happen to a student is to be told the truth, instead of being pampered into oblivion. To search for meaning and believe that that meaning is found in a manger.
Yet it must be a time of hope. A light dawns in the East. A new morning on the horizon.
As the prophet Isaiah wrote, a long, long time ago:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
That light is Christ. During this time of Advent, billions of Christians look forward to the coming, the arrival, of Christ. Born in Bethlehem, Israel, more than two-thousand years ago, the Light of the World – Lux Mundi. That same Light of the World tells us, today still, that we too are the light of the world, that we have a calling to bring forth true enlightenment.
In the year to come, we are looking forward to seeing Lux Mundi become a physical reality, a place where young people receive a truly enlightening education, a formative experience that will set them up for real, genuine life, so they can make a difference, and be a light to this world.
Cornelis J. Schilt
President