My dear People of God, Christmas is just round the corner and everybody is preparing to
celebrate this feast. Let’s ask ourselves seriously how are we
preparing for this celebration. Christmas is a sacred feast commemorating the birth of Christ but in
today’s world, Christmas has become a secular celebration for many
people. In Singapore and in many other countries, streets and buildings
are beautifully decorated and resplendent with lights. People are busy
buying new clothes, preparing sumptuous meals and arranging parties.
These externals can enhance the celebration of the feast, but
concentrating on these externals can divert our attention from the real
meaning of Christmas. Let us bear in mind. There is no Christmas without Christ and so Christ
must be the center of our celebrations. This means that our celebration
of Christmas must be a celebration of love: “God so loved the world
that He sent His only begotten Son.” And so our celebration should focus on love. It’s a time for us to
extend our love and friendship, a time to be reconciled, a time to
reach out to the less fortunate – the poor, the sick, the aged, the
lonely, a time to promote peace and harmony. In the world today unfortunately many are encountering so much
sufferings, merciless killing, financial crisis, immorality, political
crisis… Why so? Because people do not know Christ; because people
refuse to accept Christ: “He came unto His own and His own received Him
not!” And so, my dear people of God, let us prepare to celebrate Christmas in
the proper way. Make Christ the center of our celebration. Share Him
with others by reaching out in love especially to those in need. In
doing this, Christmas will truly be CHRIST-mas for us. A joyous and blessed Christmas and a grace-filled New Year to one and all. Devotedly yours in Christ Archbishop Nicholas Chia
|