Festival of life and human fraternity

By Rev. Fr. Leopold Ratnasekera OMI
OMI Seminary, Ampitiya, Kandy

Christmas is the story about a newborn baby, the unique Jewish child of Bethlehem who saw the light of day during a night lit by a star of wonder that hovered over the city of King David in modern day Palestine. Birthdays are celebrated in appreciation of the gift and blessing of life as well as in thanksgiving to the creator who makes all prospective mothers become sanctuaries of new throbbing life. Each newborn infant is a miracle of nature and a wonder to behold, a cosmic symbol, a masterpiece in the hands of the divine potter, a bearer of God’s very image and likeness, a fruit of love, a bundle of joy, the pride of parents, a bond in the family, a future man and a human called to be a saint. Every newborn introduces us to the august mystery of life, an echo of human dignity and a witness to the God of Life and Love who invites all people to a global human fraternity, celebrating life as well as sharing its blessings in abundance.

There is nothing more precious and of infinite value in this world of space and time, than a life of a human being: Infant, child, youth, adult, man, woman or the elderly and even the terminally ill and infirm. All world’s resources should be at the service of life including the latest and most sophisticated technology and social media. A world culture that depreciates life and considers it only as a commodity sadly falls short of a justified rational vision of humanity. For human beings, the greatest blessing to be accrued is fraternity, brotherhood and solidarity, without which humanity would plunge into utter disarray and be subject to feuds, conflicts, enmities and mistrust. These unfortunate phenomena are brazenly at work even at this moment, in our world. Destructive competitiveness in commerce, business and trade is rampant in the international economic scenario. Many countries vie for economic superiority.

The abuse of religion in all its fundamentalist forms, for political purposes, at times flares up in the form of open terrorist activities and violence which, in principle, no religion can justify or condone. Islamic fundamentalism falls into this category, whereby people are branded apostates and killed summarily for blasphemy just because they are of a different religious faith or tradition. In a civilised society, this is utterly unacceptable and to be condemned as a travesty of religion and a crime against humanity. It is imperative that those in leadership, in various religions, strive to raise awareness about authentic religion, to help avoid misrepresentation by extremist elements.

Another dangerous trend is the arms race. Nuclear proliferation may even lead to the militarization of free space and distant planets, which definitely spells disaster as it fosters distrust among nations. The continued debates at the UN on this crucial issue and the UN’s failure to get nations to agree to abandon such dangerous projects sadly threatens world peace and fraternity among nations and peoples. Lastly, poverty hangs over humanity like a brooding dark cloud, due to multinational companies that monopolise world trade, stunting the growth of local economies through unjust intrusion. As a result of third world poverty in the southern hemisphere, more than two thirds of the world’s population still live below the poverty line. It manifests in the form of unemployment, depreciation of local currencies, inadequate health facilities, inflation in economies, local conflicts and tensions that discourage foreign investments. Abuse of political power and national resources for personal aggrandisement further exacerbates the situation.

In such a scenario, human fraternity shatters as does democracy. Critics who blame relentless militarism claim that with the money spent on armaments, their manufacture, sale and deployment, the hungry millions can easily be fed, while also providing aid for sectors such as education and healthcare and developing other basic infrastructure facilities like serviceable roads and decent housing for the rural poor. The migration of rural folks into crowded urban enclosures also causes psychological and emotional issues. Although the incredible feats of electronic and social media are admirable, the moral havoc unleashed is beyond compare and has led to the deplorable violation of human dignity, individual rights and privacy and the general deterioration of moral values and ethical standards, continuously dehumanising society.

Science, technology and communication must be at the service of mankind which would ameliorate quality of life and living conditions the world over. The world must be transformed into a more humane, just and rich civilization and a safe haven for those in overcrowded cities, farmers, small-business owners, millions who migrate or are marooned on the high seas, endangering their very lives, and smaller countries threatened with insecurity by world powers. The culturally and militarily conditioned clash of civilizations has to be prevented for a more peaceful world to evolve where nations understand, sympathise with and help one another. Dialogue will foster mutual understanding among peoples in the kind of global village that has emerged.

Christmas, good news about life, can easily be termed the gospel of life. It is also the gospel of infants, the voice of children, challenging the adult world as powerful agents echoing the dignity of life. Consequently, Christmas is a child-centred festival and celebration whereby the adult world is made to appreciate the wonder and beauty of life. All forces threatening it have to be squarely challenged, such as abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia and all forms of violence, whether domestic, social or political, which deserve a right-thinking man’s just condemnation. Christmas always gathers people in families, circles of friends and well-wishers in celebration. Our shopping and gifting are part and parcel of celebrating this festival which highlights the spirit of Christmas, wherein in the infant babe of Bethlehem, born on the first Christmas night, God gave himself in love and kindness to mankind naming himself ‘Emmanuel’, which means God-with-us. The world and its history, as well as humanity and its civilization have never been the same since the birth of Jesus Christ. He was a humble carpenter’s son from Galilee of Palestine, who was destined to change the course of humanity forever.

His teaching about the need to love the One True God despising all other idolatrous worship, be it of gods or mammon, coupled with its connatural demand of love and respect for the neighbour that makes one cross all racial, language, ethnic, social and national borders, if only heeded by modern man and his institutions, would surely bring about a new world of human fraternity and healthy social relationships. In this global village, we need a global ethic and this can be propagated only via religious values brought in to focus through dialogue between world religions. It is opportune to commit oneself to this herculean task while the whole world celebrates Christmas.

The celebration of Christmas entails the challenge of promulgating its spirit beyond Christmastide throughout the year and beyond. Though it is a celebration focused on a newborn child, we who celebrate are invited into his world of peace and humanity, which becomes everyone’s dream and solemn responsibility.

The beauty and mystery of a child cannot be justly understood without its concomitants of parenting, family and the converse duty of providing it with everything – intellectual, cultural, civic and social – needed for growth, maturity and development. The family with its domestic background, the school with its formative atmosphere and religious institutions with their spiritual resources contribute, all in their due and specific measure, to social progress. We live in a world where individuals are bound to nature as well as to others in society, where no man is an island.

Jesus Christ welcomed all people with open arms, as when praising the Samaritan leper returning to thank him for the cure, the proverbial good Samaritan who went to the succour of the Jew, attacked by the brigands, the many other gentile women for whom he worked miracles or the Roman centurion’s servant he healed. The three kings reputed to be wise men journeying to Bethlehem were gentiles from the East: A good harbinger of things to come. Christ taught high ideals like walking the extra mile, forgiving wrong-doers seventy times seven, loving enemies and doing good to those who hate. These were extraordinary messages for the Palestinian society of his day.

The Babe of Bethlehem registers the humble beginnings of the greatest life ever lived, embodies the greatest story ever told and the most extraordinary event ever recorded in the annals of human history. Jesus Christ, whose birth is today globally celebrated, is a universal and cross cultural treasure. At every Christmas, the call for human dignity and global fraternity must be heard loud and clear.