“Colours” — A Short Christmas Day Reflection on two of Norbert Fabián Čapek’s responsive Christmas meditations

Working intensely through Norbert Fabián Čapek’s (1870–1942) 1939 edition of “To the Sunny Shore: A Guide to Living Joyfully” (K slunnému brehu: Prúvodce do radostného Zivota) over the past couple of months has been a fascinating experience and I have learnt a great deal more about the ideas that underlay the early Czech Unitarian movement of the 1920s and 30s — then still known as the “Free Fellowship” (Svobodné Bratrství) — than I previously knew. This morning I could tell you a lot about that but, today, I don’t want to focus on the importance of Čapek’s ideas in the history of the Czech Unitarian movement — vital and interesting though they are — but, instead I want to focus only on the contemporary relevance to us, in 2024/25, of the ideas contained within his two responsive prayers, or rather meditations, we are using in this service. [Both of these are reproduced at the end of this post.]

The first prayer is entitled “God is Love” but it’s important to see that for Čapek and the Czech Unitarians, God is not some distant, far-off, all-powerful creator God, but an immanent, indwelling, divine spirit. In this we see Čapek and the Czech Unitarian’s panentheistic intuition writ large. Panenetheism simply means, remember, that everything, without exception and always and everywhere, is within God. In short Čapek’s prayer strongly echoes the ancient insight expressed by St Paul in his sermon delivered before an altar to “an unknown god” at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16–34), when he said that it is in God that “‘we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own [Greek and Roman] poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring’” (v. 28). 

But for Čapek and the Czech Unitarians theirs is not a passive panentheism but something to be experienced and practiced in daily life. The sanctuary of love of which Čapek speaks is not to be found at the end of our path through life, but on the path itself; the sanctuary of love is built and grows in our own and other’s hearts every time an act of loving-kindness occurs. In those moments of loving-kindness we become what Čapek calls, “high priests” of “the Most High” and it is in this that we “find the meaning of existence, the light on our paths, and the strength of those who overcome.” This divine love is what Čapek thinks is “the mystery of the great Masters . . . the awakeners of humanity” whose lives have helped reveal the divine radiance that lies within each of us. But this radiance, this light, this divine love, is not to be seen only in the Christian tradition but in all religions that promote loving-kindness. To signal this the universalistic attitude Čapek has us say together that this light of love is the sun of every Christmas, the Bethlehem star; that this light of love is mother of every Christ and every Krishna; that this light is the sole salvation of all the daughters and sons of this Earth. (Krishna is, of course, the Hindu god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love.) Čapek’s call to his own Czech congregation in Christmas 1928, and by extension, to us nearly 100 years later, was to “dedicate ourselves” to this light and to direct to it our songs and to make every act of service to others an act of worship.

The second responsive prayer which we have said together is called “Red Blood.” For Čapek, “red blood” was a symbol of the spirit of life that all human beings share. It is that which gives life to our body, it helps keep it pure and healthy, “so that the living temple of the spirit remains fresh and ready for service to God.” Čapek was acutely aware of the truth that whenever our world becomes one in which love is lacking, then the freedom this love brings has, alas, come to be paid for, we may say redeemed, through the spilling of this same precious blood. So Čapek was concerned to remind us that “We are all of one blood and one spirit” and he calls upon us to be “brothers and sisters to one another.”

Čapek then turns to a favourite theme of his, colour. In his book, “To the Sunny Shore: A Guide to Living Joyfully” (Chapter 18, Colours and Moods), he wrote:

“I am certain that medical science in the future will take much greater account of the influence of colours than it does today. For us, however, it concerns only the general influence of colours on health and mood, and here it can be confidently stated that every colour that positively affects mood also benefits health.”

Holding to this belief he then tells us that “Orange is the colour of the sun” and suggests our moods should always “be brightened and illuminated by the rays of love and joy!” and to “give ourselves to sunny moods!” Sunny days “warm us in our memories, even during the night!” And this should remind us that. “Every night is a path to morning; after it shines [there is] a new day.

He then turns to the colour yellow, which he feels is the colour of thought and truth. Čapek fervently believed that thought would prevail and that it was vital that “true and truthful thinking” must find “a home among us.” So he calls upon us to “devote ourselves to truth in thought and action”; to think “new and life-giving thoughts, thoughts from which actions are born” because it is only through “free thinking” that we can, together “walk toward freedom and fraternity!”

He then turns to the colour green, which he thinks is the colour of nature. For Čapek “nature is ours”, not because we own it or are in control of it, but because it is what gifts us our own naturalness, our youth, and the greenness of a creative life. Consequently, he calls upon us to “dedicate ourselves to creative living” in which we live “beautifully” and “strongly” so as to succeed to the very end of our life. For Čapek the cultivation of a great life is always a creative art.

Next he turns to the colour blue, which he thinks is the colour of peace, “the peace of a blue sky. The peace of the heart and the eyes. The peace of an inner balance” and he expresses his hope that this peace will be ours and that, when we live well, this peace will follow us enabling us to move forward with “calmness and a smile.”

Penultimately, he turns to purple, which he thinks is the colour of service and sacrifice. His own life and experience had taught him that we are always-already “heirs to countless acts of service and sacrifice by the best sons and daughters of humanity” and so he calls upon us to “honour their memory with new acts of service and sacrifice.” But, in what I think is a vital point, he notes that although in the past this service and sacrifice was all too often tied to belief, and that people had died for their beliefs, he wants to transform service and sacrifice into a desire “to live for truth and love!” (empasis mine).

And, finally, he considers the colour white, which he notes is “the blending of all colours.” It is this that makes it for Čapek “the symbol of a full life and the embodiment of God in humanity.” Consequently he calls upon us to express our desire and intention “to live through all noble relationships and all expressions of a beautiful life” and “to bring everything into our brother [and sister]hood that allows us to live it more fully.” This is because he fervently believed that we “are [all] God’s children” and that we best display this whoever we dedicate ourselves to truth, goodness, and beauty and make a home for them in both our own hearts and the creative, inquiring, free and liberative spiritual tradition to which we belong.

As we end the difficult year of 2024, and prepare ourselves to enter into 2025 — which seems likely to bring with at least as many challenges as last year — I think Čapek’s two Christmas prayers can provide us with a clearer idea of what we must all be doing within the Cambridge Unitarian community.

In some way, we must continue to express some small act of loving-kindness to others, daily — and this act must at times include those whom feel are also our enemies in some fashion. We will do this because the inner spirit makes us feel that all people are children of the God-who-is-love, and it is in this God that we know we live, move and have our being. It is to this kind of understanding of God that we need to “dedicate ourselves” to in the coming year and to make every act of loving-kindness an act of worship of this same God.

And as we do this, although, at times and perhaps often, we will feel our mood plummet and darken, we owe it to ourselves and those whom we meet to meditate upon those things which speak eloquently of the colours orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, and which, when mixed together, allow us to see the white light of divinity and helps us to bring everything into our fellowship that will truly help us to live more compassionate, good, true, and beautiful lives.

It is in this spirit, that I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

First Czech Unitarian responsive meditation:

The word “Arkona” is a reference to the ancient Slavic pagan temple-fortress on the island of Rügen (in modern-day Germany). This site was a centre of worship for the deity Svarog or, perhaps, Svantevit), a major god in Slavic mythology, thought by some to be akin to Zeus. The temple at Arkona was renowned for its grandeur before it was destroyed during the Christianization of the region in the 12th century. In order to avoid their services being associated with all the usual Christian, ecclesiastical meanings, the Czech Unitarians decided to imbue the word “Arkona” with new meaning by using it as their special word for a type of Unitarian worship service.

GOD IS LOVE (Christmas Arkona, December 1928)

Whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in them.

Whoever loves is born of God and knows God.

If we love one another, God is within us, and his perfect love is within us.

Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates their brother [or sister] is a liar.

For whoever does not love their brother [or sister], whom they can see, how can they love God, whom they cannot see?

Therefore, above all, let us have true love for one another.

Let us bear with one another and forgive one another.

Let us be inclined toward one another with filial love. Love does no harm to a neighbour.

Love is patient, does not envy, does not think evil, does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth.

Love, where is your sanctuary, and what are the paths to it?

You are within us, walking the paths of faith in humanity.

Love, how shall we glorify you, and to what name shall we dedicate your memory?

We shall glorify you in the name of humanity, and your presence in us sanctifies us.

Love, when were you born, from where do you come, and who are your priests?

You are born from eternity in each person anew, and whoever has you is a priest of the Most High.

Love of parents and children, brothers and sisters, friends, and all who serve humanity:

Remain with us and grow within us!

Love, through which the lowly rises to greatness, sorrow becomes joy, struggles become victory, and death becomes life:

You are the meaning of existence, the light on our paths, and the strength of those who overcome.

You were the mystery of the great Masters and the awakeners of humanity.

From their lives, your radiance shines throughout humanity.

You are the sun of every Christmas, the Bethlehem star. You were the mother of every Christ and every Krishna. You are the sole salvation of all the daughters and sons of this Earth.

To you, we dedicate ourselves; to you, we sing our songs; you make every service an act of worship.

Second Czech Unitarian responsive prayer: 

The word “sadhána” is borrowed from the Sanskrit, “sádhana” which means “methodical discipline to attain desired knowledge or goal.” In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions the goal of “sādhana” is to attain some level of spiritual realization, which can be either enlightenment, pure love of God (prema), liberation (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra), or a particular goal such as the blessings of a deity. As with their use of the Slavic word “Arkona,” in order to avoid their services being associated with all the usual Christian, ecclesiastical meanings, the Czech Unitarians decided to use the word “sadhána” to signify a type of worship service.

RED BLOOD (Christmas Sadhána, December 1932)

Red blood gives life to our body. Let it always be pure and healthy, so that the living temple of the spirit remains fresh and ready for service to God.

Let a healthy spirit have a healthy body!

When love was lacking, freedom was paid for with spilt blood. Man rose against man, and brother against brother.

We are all of one blood and one spirit. Let us be brothers and sisters to one another.

Orange is the colour of the sun. Let our moods be brightened and illuminated by the rays of love and joy!

We give ourselves to sunny moods!

Let the rays of sunny days warm us in our memories, even during the night!

Every night is a path to morning; after it shines [there is] a new day.

Yellow is the colour of thought and truth. Thought prevails. Let true and truthful thinking have a home among us.

We devote ourselves to truth in thought and action.

Let us think new and life-giving thoughts, thoughts from which actions are born.

Through free-thinking, let us walk toward freedom and fraternity!

Green is the colour of nature. Nature is ours, as is our naturalness, our youth, and the greenness of a creative life.

We dedicate ourselves to creative living.

We want to live beautifully, we want to live strongly, and to succeed to the very end!

Let us cultivate the art of a great life!

Blue is the colour of peace. The peace of a blue sky. The peace of the heart and the eyes. The peace of an inner balance.

Let peace be ours.

Wherever we go, may peace follow us.

With calmness and a smile, let us move forward.

Purple is the colour of service and sacrifice. We are heirs to countless acts of service and sacrifice by the best sons and daughters of humanity. Let us honour their memory with new acts of service and sacrifice.

So let it be!

In the past, people died for their beliefs.

We want to live for truth and love!

White is the blending of all colours, the symbol of a full life and the embodiment of God in humanity. We want to live through all noble relationships and all expressions of a beautiful life. We want to bring everything into our brother [and sister]hood that allows us to live it more fully.

We are God’s children.

Let everything good, beautiful, and true have a home among us.

We dedicate ourselves to truth, goodness, and beauty.

(The original Czech texts of both these prayers can be found at this link)