Christmas 2024 The Christmas Season begins after the sunset 🌇 on the 24th December and ends on the Feast of Epiphany in January.
The centre and focus of Christmas is definitely not Santa Claus🧑🎄 Crib🚼 Christmas ⭐ Carols🎵🪗 Wise Men (magi)🧘 Angels🧚 Shepherds and sheep 🐏 Donkeys and cattle🐄 Christmas Tree 🎄 Christmas Cards✉️ and Greetings🤝 Christmas Plays🏂 Decorations and Ornaments🎀 Christmas Wreaths💮 Christmas Reindeers🫎🦌 Christmas Sweets 🥞and Pastries🍛 Gifts🎁 Christmas Bells🔔 Christmas Candles🕯️ Dinner and Drinks🍽️🍷 New clothes👔👗 Singing and dance 💃🕺 Christmas Plants 🌲and Flowers🪴 Christmas Customs🔖 And many other things. JESUS CHRIST is the CENTRE and FOCUS of CHRISTMAS. Without Jesus all the above are meaningless external things and rituals combined with pomp and show. These secondary and tertiary things have either replaced or side tracked Jesus the centre of the Christmas festival. Unfortunately, the meaningful Christmas festival, without Jesus has become a highly commercialized hedonistic activity. The Nativity of Jesus reminds us Bethlehem is the place of his birth. Calvary in Jerusalem is his place of death and resurrection. Christmas and Easter are the two sides of the same coin of the life of Jesus. Nativity reminds the joy of his birth. Calvary reminds his glory after the passion and death on the cross. The Nativity of Jesus brings joy and Easter brings meaning and hope in our lives. As we celebrate Christmas, let us remember 3L (least, last, lost); Friends of 3L who support this Mission; orphans, poor widows, marginalized people, refugees, displaced people, people affected by wars, violence, discrimination, and injustice, bedridden sick people, lonely and elderly senior citizens, unjustly convicted prisoners, victims of addictions, bonded labourers, and all those longing for justice⚖️, peace 🕊️, joy😄, and meaning in their lives. On behalf of 3L students and their families, I wish you and your family members a grace filled joyful CHRISTMAS🌲💫. I pray 🛐 that Jesus who came to redeem the world, fill your heart ❤️and home🏠 with His Divine Presence, Blessing, Peace🕊️, and Joy😃.
