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Christmas: celebration of God so humble. And why are we so proud?

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by Rev. Msgr. Robinson Wijesinghe

It is Christmas. The crib and the Christmas tree, the carols and the gifts, the cakes and a good meal are what traditionally describe the atmosphere of Christmas. These do in fact speak to us something that goes beyond the material elements we can see and touch. What traditionally resounds in our ears and pleases our eyes at Christmas in fact awakens in us those sentiments of serenity, peace, joy, love, hope, friendship, fraternity, solidarity and the best of all good values and morals, virtues and qualities. Even if such wholesome and upright sentiments, so beautifully verbalized and universally aspired, could often remain remote and not so easily achievable due to human impediments, still they continue to reverberate that such ideals are inseparably interwoven with the inner core of Christmas. Despite every possible human obstacle to enter into that joy and serenity of the celebration, Christmas remains Christmas in all its facades, because it cannot be otherwise.

At Christmas we speak of God coming down to visit the humanity; God taking the form of the human person except sin, whom He himself creates. God the Creator thus assumes the nature of His creature, without sin (cf. Letter to the Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5). As Pope Benedict XVI explains, God the Almighty and Omniscient comes down to immerse himself in the human history as a child, who is born undefended, in humility, poverty and simplicity in order to restore back the divine son-ship and dignity that the human person loses in disobedience to its Creator (cf. Jesus of Nazareth, Vatican 2012; Luke 2:1:20). Jesus Christ the Messiah born in rejection, outside the city life of Bethlehem, not received by his own in hometown of Joseph, his foster father. God our Creator and Father prefers to sacrifice all His glory and honour, His power and might to be born on a hill, inside a cave, in a cow-shed, at night while the whole city is asleep. He is born to save those who reject him. It so happens, in similar fashion, that Jesus offers his life on a cross to save those who condemn him to death on the cross. These two extreme human situations of being born and of dying in rejection and abandonment become the most fascinating and challenging events of the revelation of the nature of God in the human history.

The human history is recreated and remade by the birth of the Messiah. As Saint Luke narrates (Luke 2), Jesus is born in the time of Caeser Augustus. Seemingly it suggests that there is a very close link between Caeser and Jesus. Caeser brings Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, because of the population census he decrees. For the first time there is a government and an empire that spans the globe. The link between Jesus and Augustus Caeser goes deeper. He does not want to govern the people like any other governor. The belief of the people of the times is that the birth of the god is the beginning of the good tiding he brings to the world. In the year 27 B.C., i.e. 3 years after his assumption of office, the Roman Senate already awards him with the title Augustus, a Greek word which means “one worthy of adoration”. In the Old Testament tradition, only God is to be adored. There are two aspects of self-understanding of Augustus, says Pope Benedict XVI: peace and salvation under his imperial rule. Even his rule lasts from 30 B.C. to 4 A.D. and the peace he establishes in his kingdom lasts not more than 250 years. It is certainly an important era yet limited in result. Human enterprises do not last eternally. Jesus is born in this precise time in the history of the humanity. Luke creates a historical and theological framework to situate the events of the birth of the Messiah. To the Emperor Caeser is attributed the divine title of Augustus. The extension of his authority is implied by the fact that the census is imposed over the whole world (ecumene). Luke presents a meticulously detailed chronology of this particular moment in history. Jesus is born into the context of a powerful emperor who is ordered by decree to be adored. The peace and healing that Jesus brings into the humanity goes beyond that time and space of peace, established by Augustus Caeser.

Jesus belongs to a time and a place. The eternal Logos takes flesh in human history. God invisible becomes visible. God-divine becomes God-man. The history of humanity is sharply recreated and renewed. The humanity finds sense and meaning in human life and existence. God is so humble to be born among us that recreating a sinful world like in the time of Noah (Genesis 7). He chooses the least among all cities and locations to be born. The Prophet Micah (5:1-3; Mathew 2:6) foretells that the Messiah shall be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. There is no room for the Messiah to be born among men and women; no room in the city (John 1:11). The Son of God, through whom all things are created becomes so humble and simple (Col 1:16). Mary gives birth to the Messiah, now wrapped in swaddling clothes and is laid in a manger. He is born in a stable, in an inhospitable, even unworthy space. God the creator is born among the poorest and the humblest of the society: the shepherds and the wise of this world. He is born outside the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms. The whole scenario of the birth of Jesus the Messiah prefigures the paschal mystery of Jesus the Redeemer: on a hillside and the Calvary, in a cave and the tomb, placed in a manger and crucified on the wooden cross, wrapped with bandages or swaddling clothes which Mary prepares for his delivery of the baby.

God empties himself of all power and might to be born in simplicity, humility and poverty when He has all right to will and act totally free. Today we celebrate Christmas in splendour, which I feel, right and just in order to render the maximum of praise and thanksgiving to Him. But can we celebrate Christmas in glamour without entering into the depth of the scenario of the nativity of our Lord? All creativity in making the crib and Christmas tree, in making cakes and meals is good and well insofar as that inner nature and quality, that beauty and mystery of the birth of God the Redeemer is justly respected and adored. When God becomes so humble and simple, why is that we as Catholics or Christians turn out to be so arrogant and extravagant, so proud and so selfish? How can we justify our faith in God who knees down at the foot of His disciples to wash their feet and who still finds a reason to forgive those who condemn and nail him to the Cross?

Let us transform this Christmas 2021 into an experience of self-denial, emptying and purifying our inner self from all sorts and all categories of sins of attachments and self-gratifications, pride and hardness of heart, from envy and jealousy. (Courtesy Catholic Messenger)



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Features

Religious extremism set to gain from rising Israel-Iran hostilities

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The costs of extremism; the Twin Tower blasts of 9/11.

Many of the international pronouncements on the current dangerously escalating Israel-Iran hostilities could be seen as lacking in adequate balance and comprehensiveness. The majority of these reactions could be said to be failing in addressing the aspects of the conflict that matter most.

For example, there is the recent UN General Assembly resolution on the crisis which calls for an ‘immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza’ and which goes on to urge ‘Member States to take necessary steps to ensure Israel complies with its international legal obligations.’ An immediate and durable ceasefire is indeed the number one requirement in the Middle East today but could it be ‘unconditional’? Could it ignore the principal requirement of Israel’s security? These posers need to be addressed as well.

Besides, it is not only Israel that should be compelled to meet its ‘international legal obligations.’ All the states and actors that feature in the conflict need to be alerted to their ‘international legal obligations’. While it goes without saying that Israel must meet its international legal obligations fully, the same goes for Iran and all other Middle Eastern countries that enjoy UN membership and who are currently at odds with Israel. For instance, Israel is a UN member state that enjoys equal sovereignty with other states within the UN fold. No such state could seek to ‘bomb Israel out of existence’ for example.

As a significant ‘aside’ it needs to be mentioned that we in Sri Lanka should consider it appropriate to speak the truth in these matters rather than dabble in what is ‘politically correct’. It has been seen as ‘politically correct’ for Sri Lankan governments in particular to take up the cause of only the Palestinians over the decades without considering the legitimate needs of the Israelis. However, a lasting solution to the Middle East imbroglio is impossible to arrive at without taking into account the legitimate requirements of both sides to the conflict.

The G7, meanwhile, is right in stating that ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’, besides ‘reiterating our support for the security of Israel’ but it urges only ‘a de-escalation’ of hostilities and does not call for a ceasefire, which is of prime importance.

It is only an enduring ceasefire that could lay the basis for a cessation of hostilities which could in turn pave the way for the provision of UN humanitarian assistance to the people of the Gaza uninterruptedly for the foreseeable future. There is no getting away from the need for a durable downing of arms which could engender the environment required for negotiations between the warring parties.

Meanwhile, some 22 Muslim majority countries have ‘warned that continued escalation threatens to ignite a broader regional conflict that could destabilize the Middle East’ and called ‘for a return to negotiations as the only solution regarding Iran’s nuclear program.’ This statement addresses some important issues in the crisis but one hopes that the pronouncement went on to call for negotiations that would take up the root causes for the conflict as well and pointed to ways that could address them. For instance, there is no getting away from the ‘Two State Solution’ that envisages peaceful coexistence between the principal warring parties.

The ‘Two State Solution’ has been discredited by sections of the world community but it outlines the most sensible solution to the conflict. As matters stand, the current escalating hostilities, if left unchecked, could not only lead to a wider regional war of attrition but bring about the annihilation of entire populations. There is no alternative to comprehensive negotiations that take on the issues head on.

Besides, all who matter in the current discourse on the crisis need to alert themselves to the dangers of appealing to the religious identities of communities and social groups. When such appeals are made religious passions are stirred, which in turn activate extremist religious outfits that operate outside the bounds of the law and prove difficult to rein-in. This was essentially how ‘9/11’ came about. Accordingly, speaking with a sense of responsibility proves crucial.

In fact, it could be argued that a continuation of the present hostilities would only benefit the above outfits with a destructive mindset. Therefore, comprehensive and constructive negotiations are of the first importance.

The above conditions should ideally be observed by both parties to the conflict. Israel, no less than the Islamic and Arab world, needs to adhere to them. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has no choice but to say ‘No’ to extremists within his cabinet and to ‘show them the door’, inasmuch as hot-headed extremists in the Islamic and Arab world need to be opposed and alienated by the relevant governments.

Meanwhile, the US is on a duplicitous course in the Middle East. Whereas it has no choice but to rein-in Israel and convince it of the need to negotiate an end to the conflict, it is choosing to turn a blind eye to Israel’s military excesses and other irregularities that are blighting the Gazans and the ordinary people of Iran. It ought to be plain to the Trump administration that it is promoting a barbaric war of attrition by continuing to provide Israel with the most lethal weaponry. Currently, it is anybody’s guess as to what the US policy on the Middle East is.

The Islamic and Arab world, on the other hand, should come to understand the imperatives for a defusing of tensions in the region. Decades of conflict and war ought to have made it clear that the suffering of the populations concerned would not draw to a close minus a negotiated peace that ensures the wellbeing of all sections concerned.

As pointed out, the security of Israel needs to be guaranteed by those quarters opposing it. This will require the adoption of a conciliatory attitude towards Israel by state and non-state actors who have thus far been hostile towards it. There needs to be a steady build-up of goodwill on both sides of the divide. If this is fully realized by the Arab world a negotiated solution will be a realistic proposition in the Middle East.

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She deserves the crown

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We had no luck coming our way at the Miss World 2025 contest – not even our immediate neighbour, India – but I’m glad that Miss Thailand was crowned Miss World 2025 as Thailand happens to be my second home … been to Amazing Thailand many times, courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

In fact, even before the Miss World 2025 grand finale, which was held at the beautiful venue of the HITEX Exhibition Centre, in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, my colleagues at office all predicted that Miss Thailand, Opal Suchata Chuangsri, would emerge as the winner.

Yes, indeed, Miss Thailand not only won the hearts of millions but also became the first ever Thai to claim this much sought-after title.

Prior to winning the title of Miss World 2025, Opal Suchata was Thailand’s representative at Miss Universe 2024 and took home the third runner-up title.

Her Miss Universe crown, unfortunately, was subsequently forfeited, due to a contract breach, but she did not let that demotivate her, though, and went on to compete and win the title of Miss World Thailand 2025.

Coming from a family that was in the hospitality industry, her upbringing, in this kind of environment, made her aware of her culture and helped her with her communication skills at a very young age. They say she is very fluent in Thai, English, and Chinese.

Obviously, her achievements at the Miss World 2025 contest is going to bring the 22-year-old beauty immense happiness but I couldn’t believe that this lovely girl, at 16, had surgery to remove a benign breast lump, and that made her launch the ‘Opal For Her’ campaign to promote breast health awareness and early detection of breast cancer, which also became the topic of her ‘Beauty with Purpose’ at the Miss World 2025 contest.

Opal Suchata intends to leverage her Miss World title to advocate for other women’s health issues, as well, and sponsor a number of charitable causes, specifically in women’s health.

Her victory, she says, is not just a personal achievement but a reflection of the dreams and aspirations of young girls around the world who want to be seen, heard, and create change.

What’s more, with interests in psychology and anthropology, Opal Suchata aspires to become an ambassador for Thailand, aiming to represent her country on international platforms and contribute to peace-building efforts.

She believes that regardless of age or title, everyone has a role to play in inspiring others and making a positive impact.

And, what’s more, beyond pageantry, Opal Suchata is an animal lover, caring for 16 cats and five dogs, making her a certified “fur mom.”

She also possesses a special musical ability—she can play the ukulele backwards.

Opal Suchata is already a star with many expressing admiration for her grace, leadership, and passion for making a difference in the world.

And there is also a possibility of this head-turner, from Thailand, entering the Bollywood film industry, after completing her reign as Miss World, as she has also expressed interest in this field.

She says she would love the opportunity and praised the Indian film indstry.

She akso shared her positive experience during her visit to India and her appreciation for the Telangana government.

Congratulations Opal Suchata Chuangsri from Amazing Thailand. You certainly deserve the title Miss World 2025.

What is important is that the Miss World event is among the four globally recognised beauty pageants … yes, the four major international beauty pageants for woment. The other three are Miss Universe, Miss Earth and Miss International.

Unfortunately, in our scene, you get beauty pageants popping up like mushrooms and, I would say, most of them are a waste of money and time for the participants.

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Wonders of Coconut Oil…

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This week I thought of working on some beauty tips, using coconut oil, which is freely available, and quite affordable, as well.

Let’s start with Coconut Oil as a Moisturiser…

First, make sure your skin is clean and dry before applying the coconut oil. This will allow the oil to penetrate the skin more effectively.

Next, take a small amount of coconut oil and warm it up in your hands by rubbing them together. This will help to melt the oil and make it easier to apply.

Gently massage the oil onto your face and body, focusing on dry areas or areas that need extra hydration.

Allow the oil to absorb into your skin for a few minutes before getting dressed.

Start with a small amount and add more if needed.

* Acne and Blemishes:

Apply a small amount to the affected area and gently massage it in. Leave it on overnight and rinse off in the morning. Remember to patch test before applying it to your entire face to ensure you don’t have any adverse reactions.

* Skin Irritations:

If you’re dealing with skin irritations, coconut oil may be just what you need to find relief. Coconut oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe and calm irritated skin.

Simply apply a thin layer of coconut oil to the affected area and gently massage it in. You can repeat this process as needed throughout the day to keep your skin calm and comfortable.

* Makeup Remover:

To use coconut oil as a makeup remover, simply apply a small amount onto a cotton pad or your fingertips and gently massage it onto your face, in circular motions. The oil will break down the makeup, including waterproof mascara and long-wearing foundation, making it easy to wipe away.

Not only does coconut oil remove makeup, but it also nourishes and hydrates the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth. Plus, its antibacterial properties can help prevent breakouts and soothe any existing skin irritations, so give coconut oil a try and experience its natural makeup removing abilities, and also say goodbye to acne and blemishes!

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