“In today’s epoch saturated with technology, we do not remember the psycho-physiological aspect of Christmas,” according to the Zybertowicz couple. They referred to a certain motif in Ratzinger’s autobiography, which depicted the birth of Christ in a different light: “Christmas comes to our hemisphere in such a season, where with each passing day increasingly less light reaches Earth,” Ratzinger wrote. He argued that Christ’s birth was scandalous because of its squalor and therefore, very much “not associated with godhood.”
Ratzinger further explained that “the story of the Savior, who through his teaching and then through his martyr’s death, is light within himself and shows the path to light.”
The story of the Savior, who through his teaching and then through his martyr’s death, is light within himself and shows the path to light
The authors argue that this aspect of Christmas has been forgotten in a world of colorful adverts: “Ratzinger raises the issue of whether today’s technologized human, overwhelmed by the light (of commercials) is able to see and appreciate this aspect of Christmas, which was so important when the rhythm of nature set the rhythm of our organisms.”
“True light does not come from technology. It comes from our spirit,” they added.
The writers recall Jordan B. Peterson claiming that today people are prouder of technology than parenthood and warn that the “smart cities engulfed in light will bring an ocean of chaos in place of hope.”
