Christmas is a time for hope
Photo: AFP
RECENTLY, I was at a school celebration for Christmas. All students studying in that major school in town, from Kindergarten to Class XII, were present, and so were many of their parents and friends. The indoor basketball court converted to a hall was full. The audio system was impressive and the decorations artistic, with colourful lights, myriads of angels and other dazzling ornaments on a huge Christmas tree. There was a life-size statue of Father Christmas with his long white beard and traditional red robe. There was a grand piano, and behind it seated were children with their violins, cellos, drums and many other instruments.
The Principal of the school began the program promptly, with the youngest children singing the first couple of numbers: "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Then began the dances by the older children, as a DVD played modernised pop versions of Christmas carols. There were recognitions, awards, food from all corners of the world, and the whole atmosphere was of joyous celebration!
During those moments, I felt I was in another world -- far removed from our day-to-day realities. In fact, for a large part of the time there, I felt I was back at school again, and was reminded of my childhood days celebrating Christmas in my school in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Indeed, Christmas is a joyful season that comes every year to renew and refresh us. It is a season that has great depth and meaning coming from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, which we often tend to forget these days amidst the barrage of "Happy Holiday" greetings. One wonders how the core word "Christmas" just vanished.
The season also seems to begin earlier each year, for it involves big business! Thus, already in early November, we start hearing in the PA systems of malls and department stores: "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" or "Silent Night, Holy Night." People start shopping for Christmas presents for their parents, children, relatives and friends.
Indeed, Christmas is a time to think of the "others" -- those near and dear ones, those whom we love and cherish. It is a time to mend relationships that have become soured, and to re-unite and renew friendship again. But, Christmas is also a time to reflect on the deeper issues and concerns of life, of our world and the destiny of the human race. It is a time to celebrate and to build community, as Jesus Christ did during his life on earth.
In several places of the Holy Bible we find the story of Jesus Christ's birth. It is a moving story, for Jesus was born in a simple manger as there was no place in the inn. He was born a humble person, in poverty and deprivation, and all his life he sought to respond to the needs of people. Thus, to the hungry he provided food (including spiritual food), to the marginalised and outcasts of society he gave the good news of justice and peace. In fact, it is he who said: "I came to give life, and give it abundantly" (John 10, 10).
Every year Christians around the world prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by observing four weeks of prayer and reflection. A wreath of evergreen leaves is made with four candles standing on it, and every Sunday a new candle is lit to remind them of the coming of Jesus Christ. This preparatory period is known as "Advent." During Advent, Christians pray for purity of heart in order to receive Christ properly. They pray for a wholesome community where everyone respects each other and accepts one another as brothers and sisters.
For this year's Third Sunday of Advent, a beautiful Psalm (146) has been chosen by the Church, which appealed to me very much. It reads:
The Lord God keeps faith forever,
Secures justice for the oppressed,
Gives food to the hungry,
The Lord sets captives free.
The Lord gives sight to the blind;
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down
The Lord loves the just;
The Lord protects strangers.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
But the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord shall reign forever…
Amidst the present crises in our world, the conflicts and wars, the widespread poverty, the destruction of the environment and the disintegration of societies, these verses from the Psalms give strength and food for the faithful's spiritual journey. The words narrate what we so anxiously seek these days: justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, and freedom for those in various forms of bondage.
The past year has seen quite a few positive signs of hope globally, and a growing consciousness on the need to protect the environment and strengthen the response to crucial diseases such as HIV and AIDS. However, in general, the situation in most parts of the world remains the same, and in some places they have even become worse.
The verses from the Psalm quoted above reassure us that new visions to address these challenges will emerge (the Lord gives sight to the blind); we are reassured that those who have been disempowered, impoverished, dehumanised, will regain their dignity (those who are bowed down will be raised); and we are reminded that the Lord loves the just.
Christmas is a time to recall the reason for Jesus Christ's coming on this earth. It is a time for the Christian community to reflect on how they have worked during the past year in practicing the values for which Jesus came and offered his life, particularly in building a community of service and caring, and establishing a society characterised by justice, love and peace. Christmas, indeed, is a time to hope for change for the better as individuals and communities renew their commitment to work for the realisation of a just and peaceful world.
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