As a Christian of Indian origin, with friends and family who are Hindu, I want to use this opportunity to wish a happy Diwali to all who are celebrating.
But as I do so, I wonder how much Hindus and all people of faith are living up to our mission of bringing light into the darkness of this world.
The timing of Diwali at this time of year is because (at least in the Northern hemisphere) the days are getting shorter and the nights darker.
For a similar reason, the choice of mid-December to celebrate Christmas is not because anyone knows Jesus’s birthday, but because (again, above the equator) it is when the shortest day happens and the need for light is most keenly felt.
Muslim and Jewish festivals often coincide with a new or a full moon so again there is a link to light and darkness.
So it is not a coincidence that images of light and darkness recur across faiths. But how do we manifest that light? I fear that the fireworks, so associated with Diwali, are possibly the worst metaphor – they certainly create light but a lot of disturbance as well.
The light they give is big and noticeable, but then after a few seconds it has gone and darkness returns; the blast of colour draws our eyes towards the heavens, but it might mean we forget to look at the people around us.
Good religion has two dimensions: it should look vertically “up” and the symbols of light (candles, fire, gilded ceilings) help us look towards the Divine. But religion must also look horizontally to those around us.
Pope Francis has reminded Catholic theologians that their work must be “a fundamentally contextual theology” and not based simply on the abstract. He asks them to open up to the world and to humanity “with its problems, its wounds, its challenges, its potential”.
Living in South Africa, we can all very quickly list those “problems and wounds”. Sitting in Durban, where we have had the extra impact of riots and floods, we probably have an even longer list.
But the role of religion is not to simply add to the list of what causes darkness but to still see the possibility of light in that darkness: the potential alongside the challenges.
One way in which that is visible in Durban is through the great work of our faith-based charities: from massive organisations like Gift of the Givers or Food for Life to the small groups (usually of women) who through their temples, mosques, synagogues and churches bring practical help to vulnerable people in their local neighbourhoods.
If you are involved in any of those countless projects, then know that you are a bearer of light this Diwali; and if you are not, then look around you and join in something soon!
Durban’s extra message is to show how faiths can actually work together to change the world. For example, we are rightly proud at the Denis Hurley Centre that we have Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians of all traditions volunteering side-by-side and that different religious organisations have given us generous financial donations.
Our founder, Paddy Kearney, captured this beautifully in a speech he gave in 2016 at the Aryan Benevolent Home Diwali celebration:
“When I think of the different faiths in Durban, I’m reminded of the kaleidoscope. When you play with a kaleidoscope… you look at them first and admire the intricacies of the colourful pattern that appears. Then you twist the kaleidoscope and see an entirely different pattern made up of the same multi-coloured fragments. Each of these faiths gives a different picture of the divine, and how enriching it is to be able to see and experience these different perspectives on God.”
But with all this great resource of faith in Durban, why is there still so much darkness? It is not, I suspect, the people without faith who are the sources of the problem. Yes we have corrupt politicians, but some of them are Muslim.
Yes we have lazy government officials, but some of them are Christians. Yes we have exploitative business people but some of them are Hindus and Jews.
If every one of the Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Jews –who are also politicians, government officials and business people – used the opportunities they have at work to be bearers of light – and to call out those who are bringing darkness – we could really change our city.
Paddy ended his 2016 speech by reading a Diwali blessing by Swami Saraswathi:
May the light of love and devotion shine brightly in your hearts
May the light of service shine forth ceaselessly from your hands.
Is our faith just a way of showing devotion to the Divine? Or are we also willing to show our devotion to our customers, our clients, our constituents and all those who come to us looking for help – not just when we leave work but when we are at work too?
Dr Raymond Perrier is the spokesperson of the Denis Hurley Centre. The centre is an inner city, inter-faith facility caring for the needs of the homeless, marginalised and refugees.