Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Merry Christmas and blessed New Year 2013!
I send you greetings of the season. Slightly over two thousand years ago, in the silent night of one summer day of Bethlehem, a baby was born to a poor couple of Mary and Joseph. Little did people know that through this baby, God Himself had come down to live among people. Ever since that time, people in the world have celebrated this gift of God’s love.
It is Christmas again. Christmas is a Christian feast. However, it is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike in the world. The heart of Christmas is the celebration of Baby Jesus as the fulfilment of the Messianic Prophecy of the Old Testament. Everything in the nativity story is full of meaning. Baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a little unknown town of Israel. He was born in a dirty stable surrounded by farm animals, and was laid in a manger. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes i.e. wrapped in clothes and then tied in place by a cord according to the customs of the East. The first to visit and see him were shepherds, who, because of their lifestyle had no time for decency. Then he was host to three Magi, pagan astrologists from the East. From the above it is obvious that one can celebrate Christmas without Christ. This means celebrating Christmas that has been deprived of its real meaning. Let’s let our mind take us back to the spirit of the original Christmas, the humility of the crib and the manger, and the simplicity of life, because life is simple.
Down the centuries we have taken the Christmas period as time to exchange gifts, prepare good Christmas liturgies and this include carols, sending each other Christmas cards, displaying Christmas decorations e.g. colourful lights, Christmas trees, and the crib that displays the nativity scene to mention but a few. All these bring in the mood of Christmas. Indeed, we have all the more reason to celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Around Christmas time there is always heightened human activity. Many people flock to shopping centre to buy commodities. Others patronize live music shows, visiting the lake, others yet travel up and down the country site-seeing. All this can be open to laziness to go to Church, drug and alcohol abuse that can lead to fighting, bad language, broken relationships, theft and avoidable road accidents.
As Christians, the Christmas time is a home-coming period. It is a time of hope and a time of new beginnings. Through this humble birth in the manger, God Himself, in His majesty, has taken an initiative to come closer to us and reach out. Amazed at this gesture, human beings must a bold step towards God as well. That is why this season is a season of reconciling ourselves to God. And this cannot happen if we do not reconcile ourselves with our neighbour i.e. the people we live with. In short, Christmas is a time of mending broken relationships.
The Catholic Church is celebrating the Year of Faith running from October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013. Thus, this is the right time to translate our faith into something visible. It is a time to reach out to the needy. There are fellow Malawians who won’t celebrate Christmas with their families because they have been admitted to the hospital. There are fellow Malawians who won’t celebrate Christmas with their families because they were caught on the wrong side of the law and are in prison. There are fellow Malawians who won’t celebrate Christmas with their families because they are victims of natural disasters. Others yet are hungry, homeless, and others are weighed down by a state of hopelessness.
Compelled by the love of Bethlehem, we should not break this chain of love. Time has come for us to show the world the compassionate face of Jesus Christ.
Let me wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
+Joseph M. Zuza
Episcopal Conference of Malawi Chairman, ECM
19th December, 2012