Understanding spirit of Christmas Silent Night, Holy Night

There is something about Christmas and while Believers or those who practise Christianity will identify December 25 as the day that the Lord sent his only begotten Son to wash away man’s sins and save mankind, to the non-believers or those who don’t follow the Christian faith it could mean a day of exchanging greetings, gifts and taking time off for family and friends. What everyone agrees to, irrespective of one’s faith and religious affiliation, is Christmas is special for it is about the need to forgive each other and spread the message of love and peace. In short to many, whether one is a Christian or not, it is a day to reinforce one’s belief in the innate goodness of mankind and come to the realisation that despite the differences people might have, the lessons of forgiveness and love can never be dated. Forgiveness in 33 AD should mean the same thing in 2024 and later. So is love which is a universal language and is not bound by political and ideological divides. And in much the same line as love and peace are not bound by language and political divides, Christmas down the ages has taken on a characteristic so much so that today it is not only celebrated by the Christians alone but many others. This is perhaps where the beauty of the day lies. And even as Churches are lit and homes, especially Christian homes, are bedecked to welcome the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, it would make the day all that more special if prayers can be said for those who are surviving in the different relief centres set up across the length and breadth of Manipur. Likewise special moments may be reserved to say a little prayer for all those who have lost their beloved ones and their homes and all their material possessions in the madness that has gripped the place for over 19 months now. Pray that good sense prevails and pray that Delhi wakes up from its slumber and applies the healing touch. Pray that Christmas is also taken as the ideal moment for better sense to prevail on people on either side of the clash divide. It is also significant to note that while Imphal used to be the main destination for the numerous Christmas shoppers from the hills, this seems to have seen a change down the years with some district headquarters in the hills emerging as the place to head for Christmas shopping. So a villager and the family living in the interior areas of Ukhrul district no longer feel the need to come down to Imphal for the clothes and other goodies to purchase are today available at the district headquarters, which means lesser time in travelling and lesser expenses. In a way development easing the lives of the people and even as people gather to exchange gifts and love on Christmas, this is also the ideal time to give some thoughts to the less privileged section of people. This is afterall the day the Lord was born and this is perhaps one way of celebrating His birth.
As in the past years, Christmas greetings have come pouring in from different personalities and organisations and one hopes and pray that the messages contained in the greetings are taken to heart by all and spread to others. Let the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of forgiveness and love take one into the next year, which is just seven days away and let all understand and appreciate why December month has come to be increasingly identified with Christmas. For many Christian families this is the season for children studying outside the State to return home and spend quality time with their parents and siblings. Christmas is also perhaps the right time for everyone to look inwards, look back at the months gone by and see if they can step into the new year a better human being for afterall this is the season of love and forgiveness and to reach out to everyone who means something in one’s life. And this should cut across everybody irrespective of whether one is a Christian or not. Let the innate goodness of mankind envelop everyone and this is where one should seriously look back and see if their conduct did anything to besmirch all that Jesus Christ stood for. Obviously giving a religious tinge to the ongoing trouble in Manipur to sway the narrative to one’s side should be done away with and the Christmas season is the best time to do that. A Merry Christmas to all the readers and patrons of The Sangai Express.