It’s Christmas once again, but in the land where Jesus walked bombs continue to rain down upon civilians including children and Bethlehem, the town in which He was born, continues to be a virtual fortress with denial of dignity being the order of the day.
As the world celebrates Christmas -- itself a story of God making himself present in abject conditions, not only without fanfare but as a homeless refugee -- bombs continue to rain down on civilian populations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria and every day we hear news of children miraculously being pulled out of the rubble. Christmas eve brought the news of bombs raining down on hospitals in the north of Gaza, among the last functioning hospitals in the region and continued killing without any accountability.
While the world's leaders squabble over resolution wording, the needy's cries for help continue to fall on deaf ears. Instead, they are met with victim blaming, whataboutery, and indifference.
This Christmas is once again an opportunity to focus on the conflicts that continue to rage around the world ” from Africa to West Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The central message of Christmas and indeed of Christianity in general is that God is alive in the poor, suffering, the innocent who are killed, the displaced and the unfairly condemned. It is for this reason that Christmas provides an opportunity -- much like it did last year -- for us to bury differences and come together if only for the aforementioned disadvantaged people.
Histories are replete with stories of ‘temporary’ Christmas ceasefires that have gone on to result in permanent and lasting ceasefires. To that end, this Christmas provides yet another opportunity for the world’s powers to recognise the power of the human spirit over fighting, wars, and conflict. World War I, particularly the year 1914, was noted for the series of unofficial ‘truces’ during Christmas, during which soldiers from opposite sides would often gather together and celebrate by exchanging gifts, carolling, etc before resuming fighting later.
The idea of a Christmas truce was also mooted between Ukraine and Russia this year but has not been agreed to either on account of one side, the other or both sides unwilling to commit to a ceasefire even for a few days. Occasions such as these must not be readily squandered but should instead be anticipated and cherished rather than wasted away in retaining the same old conflicts and jealousies.
And yet, despite it all, Christmas offers a message of hope that amidst all the rubble, the flying bombs, and the killing of innocents in a hidden corner, hope is born initially shunned by the world and recognised only by the peasantry and the odd wise man looking to the skies with the hope that there will be a better tomorrow -- not just for themselves but for all the world.
Let Christmas be an occasion to recognise the good and the spirit of community that springs to life in the most unlikely of situations much like it did on the frontlines of World War I in 1914.
