http://www.goa-world.com All About Goa & Goans Worldwide GULF-GOANS E-NEWSLETTER (since 1994) Thousands celebrate Christmas in Kuwait Expats laud right to worship KUWAIT CITY, Dec 24: Thousands of Christians celebrated Christmas in various churches in Kuwait Wednesday and they were all praise for the freedom of religion in the country. Most of the faithful thronged the Holy Family Cathedral in downtown Kuwait City to herald the birth of child Jesus. They were dressed in their best outfits and there was never a feeling that they were celebrating Christmas in the heart of a conservative Muslim state. “Caroling, feasting, and gift-giving along with the prayers and wishes — Christmas is celebrated with high spirits in various parts of the world and Kuwait too made it possible, thanks largely to the abundant religious tolerance,” they said. One of the devotees, who identified herself as Anam Varghese, was all praise for the Al-Sabah family, the government and the Kuwaiti people for allowing her to practice her faith without any hindrance. She lauded Kuwait for religious freedom seldom seen in other conservative Muslim states. Smith Bowens, who has worked in most of the neighboring Gulf States and is a newcomer to Kuwait said he was surprised at the amount of religious freedom in this part of the world. “I had heard people talking about religious tolerance in this part of the world but I would have not believed it if I had not witnessed it myself,” he said. When asked for his opinion, an elderly person who identified himself as Thomas Aguiar said he came to Kuwait during the pre-oil era and he does not remember of any moment when religion was an issue here. “For me, Kuwait is a haven of religious freedom. Hats off to the ruling family, the people and the government of Kuwait,” he said. Yet another devotee said “this season of joy and celebrations brings back memories of my childhood. It connects me to my days of being in school, and spending time with my family during the Christmas holidays and this is made possible by the religious tolerance in the State of Kuwait. For Abraham, Christmas means a lot of warmth and color. Many Catholic families in Kuwait he said, freely light stars in their balconies symbolizing the birth of child Jesus, which is a rare sight in this part of the world. Everyone who spoke to the Arab Times had one thing in common — all praise for religious freedom. An inscription on a marble slab placed at the entrance to Cathedral sums it all — ‘In grateful remembrance of HH Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al-Sabah and the government of the State of Kuwait who in 1966 very kindly allotted this land to the Catholic Church and in continuous gratitude to HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and to the government and the people of the friendly State of Kuwait the Holy See (Vatican) and the Catholic community in Kuwait express their profound appreciation and thanks for this eternal gesture and generosity.’ The beautifully decorated Holy Family Cathedral gave a warm and happy feeling of Christmas tide — an occasion to spread good cheer and celebrate our love with family and friends. The Christmas Mass was celebrated by His Lordship Bishop Camillo Ballin. The proceedings began with the singing of the ‘Silent Night’ — an occasion which gives the Catholics a special feeling of belonging to the Creator. While most people celebrate Christmas as a festive season spreading over a week, for some it is a month long festival that starts with the Advent on Sunday next to Nov 26 and ends on Jan 6 with the feast of the Epiphany. All these moments remind one of childhood days: how excited one was when a tree was brought for decoration; the number of presents one got, the laughs and good times shared with the family — all made possible by the generosity and religious tolerance of the Al-Sabah ruling family, the government and the people of Kuwait. According to Article 35 of the Constitution the freedom of belief is absolute. The State projects the freedom of practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals. “According to people who took part in the Christmas service, the religious freedom in Kuwait is much more than in any GCC country. By Paul Francis X. Fernandes Arab Times Staff www.arabtimesonline.com Related article: Bishop Camillo Ballin's Message for Christmas 2008 == THE WORD OF GOD BECAME MAN == Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Christmas to you all …with a special wish to all those who are alone in Kuwait because their families are in their country of origin. The Son of God became man: "The Word became flesh, he lived among us" (Jn.1:14). He saw our situation, felt compassion for us: "he took pity on them" (Mt.14:14). This compassion of God is the greatest reason of the Incarnation of the Son of God, it is the heart of the entire Gospel. In our turn, on the occasion of Christmas (and on other occasions, too) we should have a fraternal compassion for others: to invite into our homes those who are alone in Kuwait, to make them feel that they are like members of our family. The compassion of Christ for us should also lead us to reconciliation with all, with those who are near or are far or are even dead. Reconciliation is a necessary step if we are to enter into the house of God, to be included in His compassion. We may see that the feast of Christmas is very demanding, it requires our full conversion. How do we realize this change in our life? Among the means that we may use (Sacraments, counseling, prayer, etc.) I would like to stress on the Word of God, which has been very much meditated upon, these last few weeks, during the Synod in Rome and whose theme was exactly the "Word of God". We can read the Bible like a story, but it is not the way to bring us salvation. When we read a passage from the Bible, we should "remain" with the text, to try and find out its message. In the beginning we may have perhaps a small light, but if we remain with the Word of God and at the same time we pray, a very strong illumination will enlighten us and our life too. Perhaps you may ask me: which passages of the Bible should we choose? Let us choose the readings that the Church offers to us in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Many times God uses the choice of the Church in order to speak to us. We should have attentive ears to hear the readings of the Mass of the day. We should say that "that word has been written for me!" So, the first choice is to follow the readings of the daily Mass. They are published every month on our web-site. Another choice is to re-read passages which have helped us in the past in a particular situation in order to give importance to that particular passage in the Word of God which gave us valuable hints in the past. Often God speaks to us again and again through the same text which has been a light in our life. To re-meditate on those texts is an opportunity for God to show us new things, in our present situation. Finally, another choice is to open the Bible by chance and to read what is given us. Saint Agustine changed his life when by fate, he read Rom.13:13: "Let us live decently". St. Francis of Assisi knew what to do in his life when three times he opened the Gospel and all the three times, by providence, he found the verse: "He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses… Don’t take a spare tunic" (Mk.6:8). St. Therese of Lisieux, Patroness of our Parish in Salmiya, found her true place in the Church, to love, when she read St. Paul’s ode to love in 1 Cor.13. The Word of God is capable of sowing in our hearts the feelings of Jesus, His compassion for all, and to make us able to celebrate Christmas with our family and our brethren who are alone: "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me" (Mt.25:40). Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all! Your Bishop + Camillo Ballin, mccj http://www.catholic-church.org/kuwait/ Goa-World http://www.goa-world.com Gulf Goans Mailing List email: [email protected] The First e-Newsletter for the Goans in the Gulf region and beyond ~ Important Notice ~ Articles/Messages appearing here contain copyright material. They are meant for your personal use and may not be reproduced or redistributed. While the goa-world.com team makes every effort to ensure accuracy, we can not be held responsible for the content nor the views expressed, which may not necessarily be those of either the original author or www.goa-world.com team members or associates. Please feel free to contact us via email [email protected] . The First Online Konkani Music Station - Started on March 14, 2000 http://www.live365.com/stations/61664 Konkani Video on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/uly334 KHUXEALBORIT NATALAM MERRY CHRISTMAS www.goa-world.com Team
[Goanet] Thousands celebrate Christmas in Kuwait
Goa's Pride www.goa-world.com Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:59:26 -0800
