The season of Christmas brings new enthusiasm : Bishop Elias Gonsalves
Nagpur: The season of Christmas brings new enthusiasm with the reopening of our Churches after the break of seven long drawn months due to the pandemic. This season of advent, we got to look forward with hope for the coming of Christ in our lives. We are well aware that the pandemic is not over, the danger of getting infected is still hovering around. Therefore, in this time of despair, distress and disturbances in our human behaviour we need to protect ourselves and each other.
COVID-19 has brought this awareness to us that human life is fragile and much concern and caution is needed for our health. In the midst of this helplessness, hopelessness and hazard for life, the feast of Christmas, coming of Christ, brings a new lease and hope against anxieties, worries and stressful life. I am sure that this Christmas is going to be a special one for all of us as we battle this pandemic.
The Corona Virus fetched issues of indifference between people and nations. Pope Francis addressed such issues in his recent Encyclical ‘Fraternity and Social Friendship’(FT, No.11) and posited, “Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression.
Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests.”
These and some other new ideologies threaten the human species in the world today. In the midst of this, Coming of Christ will surely whisper in our hearts the song of Angels, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people of good will” (LK 2:14). We all long for that peace and serenity which Jesus offers us at every Christmas. The prince of peace will surely spread His peace through a new vaccine which will give us a sigh of relief. In a way we all begin the life of a new normal whereby the whole humanity will strive to work for ‘care
for creation’ and will give praise to the creator in solidarity and fraternity with everyone in the creation. All of us have love for development but at end of the day what kind of development we want? Pope Francis clarifies it in (FT-122) “Development must not aim at the amassing of wealth by a few, but must ensure human rights -personal and social, economic and political, including the rights of nations and of peoples”. The right of some to free enterprise or market freedom cannot supersede the rights of peoples and the dignity of the poor, or, for that matter, respect for the natural environment, for “if we make something our own, it is only to administer
it for the good of all”
Today, we need to be more and more interdependent and interconnected than before, so that the threats, the humanity is facing in this modern world may be outnumbered. May we also combat the current sufferings of virus, poverty and misery in the world today. Let us radiate the joy at this Christmas as we join in singing the chorus of equanimity ‘joy to the world, the Lord has come’.
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The season of Christmas brings new enthusiasm : Bishop Elias Gonsalves
from Nagpur Today : Nagpur News https://ift.tt/3rADYGe
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