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The small town bustled with quiet anticipation of Christmas, the streets lined with twinkling lights, decorated wreaths, and a dusting of fresh snow that crunched beneath their boots. Kara Zor-El held Jon Kent’s tiny hand as they strolled along the decorated sidewalks. The boy swung their clasped hands playfully, his cheeks rosy from the cold.
“Kara,” Jon piped up, his blue eyes wide with innocent curiosity. “Are you a Christian?”
Kara blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Am I a Christian?” she repeated, her tone soft with surprise. “Why do you ask, little one?”
Jon shrugged, the way only a child could, as though the question should’ve been obvious. “Mommy and Daddy said Mama and Papa Kent are Christians. That’s why they go to church every Sunday and pray before meals.”
Kara smiled at his earnestness. “That’s true. They do those things because they’re Christians. There are lots of different religions in the world, Jon. Some people pray in different ways, and some people don’t pray at all.”
Jon’s brow furrowed as he looked up at her. “Did you have Jesus on Krypton?”
The question gave Kara pause, and she smiled as she looked at him. “No, Jon. Krypton didn’t have Jesus. On Krypton, we worshiped Rao, our sun. It wasn’t just a star to us; it was sacred. Rao guided our lives and shaped our destinies.”
Jon tilted his head. “Do you still pray to Rao?”
Kara hesitated, her gaze drifting up to Earth’s pale winter sun. “No,” she admitted, her voice soft. “That sun is far, far away now. Its light doesn’t reach us here on Earth.”
Jon frowned thoughtfully. “So... do you think Earth’s sun is a god?”
Kara crouched down to his level, brushing a strand of golden hair from her face. “No, not in the same way Mama and Papa Kent think of their God. The God they pray to feels much bigger, more infinite.”
Jon’s expression brightened with another question, but she wasn’t finished.
“Still,” she continued, “Earth’s sun is very important. It makes life here possible. It helps food grow, warms the planet, and gives energy to everything. And for people like me, your dad, and you, it’s even more than that. The sun gives us strength. It’s the reason we can fly, the reason we can protect people. So, while I don’t pray to it, I do have reverence for it.”
Jon’s eyes widened with wonder. He tilted his head back to gaze at the sun, shielded by the clouds.
Kara smiled, standing up again and offering her hand. He took it without hesitation, and they continued walking in silence for a while, the peaceful hum of the holiday atmosphere surrounding them.
As they passed a particularly bright yard filled with inflatable reindeer, Jon looked back at her. “Do you think the sun knows we’re grateful?”
Kara’s smile softened. “Maybe. Maybe it feels it, the way we feel its warmth.”
Jon thought about that for a moment, his gaze drifting back to the pale glow above.
The two of them walked on, the snow crunching underfoot, as Earth’s winter sun bathed them in its quiet light.