A Merry Christmas to you all. December 2009
Christmas is for most of us a time for a break from work, for family and
friends, for presents, turkey. But we should not lose sight of the fact that
these are traditional celebrations around a great religious festival, one of
the most important in the Christian year.
Christmas is a busy season. Streets and stores are filled with people making
last-minute preparations. Travelers on the highways increase, airports are
crowded–all Christianity seems to come to life with music, lights, and
festive decorations.
Recently, many of us will have set up and decorated a Christmas tree in our
home. Often these are put by a window and the bright and shining tree is
there for every passer-by to see and share. I like to think that if someone
who feels lonely and unloved should see such a tree, that person might feel:
‘It was meant for me’.
Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God
and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and
bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives
manifest the presence of God.
The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy
family all wrapped up in each other.
Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in
an inner glow. It’s lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a
vital part. Its higher thought and a greater plan. It’s glorious dream in
the soul of man.
Looking at the morning newspapers, listening to the radio and watching
television, it is only too easy to conclude that nothing is going right in
the world.
Yet there is a lot of good news and some wonderful things are going on in
spite of the frightening headlines. Just think of the quiet courage and
dedication of the peace-keepers and the rescue workers and all those who
work so hard to restore shattered lives and disrupted communities.
But while bravery and service to the community are recognized by honors and
awards, there are many ways in which people can make good news. Success in
industry and commerce, for instance, creates the wealth that provides so
many of the things that make our lives happier and more comfortable.
It is not the big companies with household names; but quite small
entrepreneurial companies with only a few members that are making a very
significant contribution to the prosperity of their communities.
These success stories are often pushed into the background but they are the
guarantee of our future.
Christmas is a time of good news. I believe it is a time to look at the good
things in life and to remember that there are a great many people trying to
make the world a better place, even though their efforts may go
unrecognized.
There is a lesson in this for us all and we should never forget our
obligation to make our own individual contributions, however small, towards
the betterment of society.
I believe that the story of the Good Samaritan reminds us of our duty to our
neighbor.
Perhaps this shining example of what a human being can achieve in a lifetime
of dedication can inspire in the rest of us a belief in our own capacity to
help others.
Such talents and indomitable spirit are not given to all of us. But if we
can sometimes lift our eyes from our own problems, and focus on those of
others, it will be at least a step in the right direction, and Christmas is
a good time to take it. I hope that his example will continue to inspire us
all in the years ahead.
May God bless each of you this day and always.
