When the Creator of all who cared for His children by being a shelter and refuge for every wounded heart and soul was revealed to the world, there was no place for him, so the earth offered Him a place in a cave. When the true Light that shone bright and warmed every heart was incarnated, it found home only in the darkness of a cold and inhospitable cave. When the source of all knowledge and wisdom, who guided the mighty kings and the great prophets was born to this world, there were no noblemen, kings and princes to greet Him, and He was visited in the cave by strangers from far lands and shepherds. 

The cave is an important spiritual symbol and a key that can help us unlock the true meaning, depth and beauty of the message of Christmas. The life of our Lord begins and ends in a cave. It begins in a cave in Bethlehem where He was born and ends in a cave in Jerusalem where He was buried and resurrected from. A cave is a lifeless, cold, dark, inhospitable and unappealing place. But if we look into the nativity icons, we will observe that they depict something entirely different. In the Armenian miniature paintings, the cold and dark caves of nativity and resurrection overflow and vibrate with light, life and love. It is as if the mere presence of Christ instantly transforms and repels every form of darkness and turns it into a symbol of renewal, rebirth and resurrection.

There is a lifeless and frigid cave in every life. It might be a dark chapter in our life we struggle with, a cold and indifferent close person in our lives, a relationship that lacks life and love or a dire and harsh situation we are dealing with at this very moment and time. Whatever might be the reason and source of sadness and disappointment in your life, it is important to remember and be strengthened by the message of dark and cold caves’ transformation. There is no cave, no form of darkness, disappointment, heartbreak, sadness, lifelessness and chilling indifference or alienation that is beyond the reach of Christ’s healing touch. The moment He steps into the cave of our hearts, the way we feel, see the world and ourselves starts transforming and changing in ways that we can’t perhaps even explain or understand. The rays of His peace and presence fill our hearts, cast all darkness and sadness away from us, warm the chilling caves of our hearts and transfigure them into an altar of joy.