The Winter Sacred Season that we are entering is full of what I would call “holy re-do.” The Christian Advent calls human beings to consider justice in the world and how that may impact the future. Look at your own past and consider the sacred NOW as an opportunity to re-do your actions and attitudes towards a better future.
Hanukkah is the re-membering of sacred space that was desecrated by violations of an enemy against Israel. In their attempt to reconsecrate the temple for their God, the Jewish Priests found they had not enough oil for the lamps required for the eight days of ritual required to do that. And yet, the oil continued to burn and the temple itself was a huge re-do of God’s presence in the midst of the people.
Many pagan traditions celebrate the Winter Solstice as the death AND rebirth of the Light of the World. It’s the consummate re-do. We enter into the Solstice witnessing the death 
and end of Light. A moment later, we witness the birth of the Sun of Light into our new world, new year as an infant King born of the Earth Mother. The Earth Mother herself is, season after season, a renewing re-do of LIFE. The Christian Christmas is a Jewish borrowing of that ancient story.
With such traditions of the big re-do of life and relationships, how can we who enter these sacred seasons not pause and consider how we do or don’t allow for the re-do in our lives? As a teacher, I face the possibility of the re-do every day of the school year. A student doesn’t “get it,” or appears “lazy” or is “immature.” My job as a teacher is to help that student make progress. Often, the only way forward is the re-do.
How does the possibility of sacred re-do show up in your life? Judeo-Christian traditions call the sacred re-do chesed, grace. Where in your life are you a recipient of grace? Where in your life do you have the opportunity to extend grace?
These are the sacred days of grace. Let us live into them.
Bob Patrick
