Admiring the Religious Gifts Others Treasure

Wednesday will be a unique day of religious convergence, occurring only once every 35 years, when we can learn important lessons about the meaning of being human. That day will be:

* The Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr, celebrating the end of fasting during the month of Ramadan, when Muhammad received the first of the divine revelations that would eventually become the Koran, the Islamic holy book.

* The sixth day of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by Syrian Greeks bent on the destruction of the Jewish faith.

* The third day of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, in a 12-day period leading up to the feast of the Epiphany marking the visit of the magi to the stable of the infant Jesus.

Epiphany is celebrated by Latino Catholics as El Dia de los Reyes Magos (the Day of the Magi Kings), when gifts are traditionally exchanged rather than on Christmas.

* The second day of Kwanzaa (Kiswahili for “first fruits of the harvest”), a seven-day African-American holiday which--though not actually a religious observance--has strong spiritual overtones in its emphasis on various virtues.

There are insights in these converging holidays that people of all faiths can profit from.

Eid ul-Fitr is the culmination of a month in which Muslims have fasted and abstained from sexual activity during the daylight hours.

It is also a period when they are enjoined to be especially charitable. In fact, the hunger one feels becomes a reminder that less fortunate people are hungry much of the time and should be assisted.

Then, on Eid ul-Fitr, a three-day period of celebration begins and gifts are exchanged.

It might be worthwhile for followers of other faiths (and humanists of no religious faith) to consider fasting one day a month from at least one meal and giving the money saved to one of the many organizations that feed hungry people here and overseas. Schools and other groups have done this for particular causes but not regularly, as far as I am aware.

Christmas, despite its commercialization, marks the birth of one of the most influential persons in history. Yet, it occurred under very humble circumstances--a reminder to everyone that materialism and unbridled capitalism are raping the earth, exploiting the poor and dulling the spiritual sensibilities of the affluent.

Hunger and poverty of themselves do not produce virtuous lives, and free enterprise can lift people out of misery. But what are the limits of affluence and our worship of The Market?

The other aspect of Christmas, often not sufficiently appreciated, is the outpouring of philanthropy it inspires. As the Magi gave gifts to a family in need, Christians visit distribution centers, shelters, orphanages, and even the people down the block struggling with debts, and offer presents and hope.

Hanukkah has double significance. It commemorates a victory over religious persecution and a miracle that enabled one day’s supply of oil, used to kindle the sanctuary light in the Temple, to last for eight days.

The theme of resisting religious bigotry and persecution resonates in many parts of the planet--Tibet, the People’s Republic of China, the Sudan, Kosovo, Indonesia and elsewhere--and reminds us again that religious freedom is a right we must work to ensure for everyone.

For Hanukkah’s first celebrants, the lights of Hanukkah’s eight nights surely must have resonated with the winter solstice and the renewed hope for the Jewish people and the world as the days began to lengthen.

In a parallel way, Christians chose Dec. 25 in the fourth century as the date for celebrating the birth of Jesus because that was when pre-Christian Rome had celebrated the solstice with the feast of Sol Invictus (the unconquerable sun), whose light was beginning to return.

Kwanzaa is a relative newcomer to this season (founded by Maulana Karenga and first celebrated in San Diego in 1966), but its conception correlates closely with the civil rights movement of the ‘60s and the important federal legislation that followed.

It speaks of virtues--unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each is highlighted on one of the days.

It recalls for me the immense struggle for freedom of black Americans and the unsung contributions they have made to this nation: backbreaking labor on plantations, the building of Washington, D.C., service in all of our wars despite the segregation they endured, and the creation of America’s most original musical form, jazz--to name just a few.

And seven candles, one for each virtue, adorn the Kwanzaa table--once again, light as a symbol of character and hope.

Convergence should not be equated with convenience, with religious syncretism. These holidays have distinct meanings and are never going to degenerate into holiday mush.

Still, while keeping our own religious treasure, we can admire and be moved by the gifts of the other both now and throughout the year.

*

On Faith is a forum for Orange County clergy and others to offer their views on religious topics of general interest. Submissions, which will be published at the discretion of The Times and are subject to editing, should be delivered to Orange County religion page editor William Lobdell.