God Squad: Father Tom Hartman's Hanukkah message

The first night of Hanukkah was Thursday evening. Each night, one more candle is kindled on the menorah until eight lights are lit on the last night. The holiday celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, who successfully rebelled against the Selucid Greeks. Our custom as the God Squad during the winter holidays was to trade off writing the column. Tommy would write a Hanukkah greeting and I would write a Christmas greeting. Since Tommy’s death in 2016, I have tried to piece together his notes about Hanukkah. This is what I remember.

To my best friend Marc: I want to wish you and all our Jewish readers a very Happy Hanukkah.

The first thing I love about Hanukkah is the lights. The lights of the menorah remind me of the lights of the Christmas tree. In the shortest days of the year, we need extra light and our menorahs and our trees remind us that the days will get longer and we must not lose our faith — that there is no time of the year when God’s light does not shine upon us.

I love Hanukkah because it is celebrated at your home. So many Christian rituals occur in church and I love that, but there is something wonderfully special about celebrating a sacred ritual at home.

Being with you on one of the days of Hanukkah fills my heart with pure joy. I see in the way your home is transformed into a holy sanctuary that every place is holy for God if we make it so.

I also love Hanukkah because it is a reminder that miracles still happen in our world. Hanukkah is a miracle that oil for one day in the Temple in Jerusalem lasted for eight days. That small miracle symbolized the very great miracle that God’s protecting care over the Jewish people will never cease.

Christmas is a miracle for me and for all Christians that God can indeed become man and come to earth to save us from our sins. Both miracles remind us that we do not make history alone. We make history with the miraculous help of God.

Marc, I look forward to eating potato pancakes with applesauce at your home. Why you eat them with sour cream is still a mystery to me. I look forward to having you help me decorate some Christmas trees in a couple of weeks. I have saved the ornaments with the bubbling colored water that I know you like.

God bless us, one and all.

Happy Hanukkah from the soul of Father Tom Hartman

Note from MG: God, I miss him.

If Tommy was here, I know he would join me in praying for peace in Israel and Gaza and for the speedy and complete return of the hostages in time for them to see the Hanukkah lights this year.