The Lantern In The Village Square – OpEd

(UCA News) -- When I celebrated my first Christmas in a remote Maratha tribal village, I learnt that light does not need electricity to shine. An elderly migrant worker named Amma Savitri taught me this when she placed a simple clay lamp in my hands and said, “Father, this is how we welcome Jesus — not with grand things, but with whatever burns in our hearts.”

That moment changed everything I thought I knew about Christmas.

Growing up, I imagined the priesthood would mean celebrating...