The time to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, which brought good news to the world, has once again arrived. The occasion also heralds a New Year loaded with hopes and dreams. We live today in a world where the quality of humaneness is quickly disappearing. Everyone wants to compete with others in all fields of activity. Every day, we witness numerous cases of disputes in families, violence amongst nations, corruption, abuse against women, and so on. The common man is invariably at the receiving end, be it the price rise or the surfeit of scams and scandals. Political leaders who are supposed to guard the rights and interests of the people are often found exploiting them. People are falling prey to cheap offers made during elections, forgetting that they are often inviting trouble.
Certain organisations and even religious leaders take the law into their hands in the name of protests and destroy public property. Women do not feel safe enough to step out of their homes as crimes against them proliferate. Who is to be blamed for this state of affairs?
Christmas is being celebrated amid all this disorder. Christmas reminds us of a heavenly star descending to the earth to make heaven out of the earth. The true spirit of Christmas is the unconditional love of our Christ who descended into this world to redeem human beings from sins and to make new creatures out of them that are one with God — just as Christ is one with the Heavenly Father. Christmas is the time for love. As human beings we are expected to love our brethren unconditionally. If every individual does that, it is going to be Christmas forever. If we stop complaining about others, analyse our own flaws and correct ourselves, this world will surely be transformed into paradise. This thought should linger in our minds and souls all through our lives. We should mend our ways and lead a life filled with the spirit of love and peace. I believe this thought will transform us all into new beings. Let me wish all readers a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Dr. Yuhanon Mar Diascoros
Metropolitan,
Malankara Orthodox
Syrian Church
