CHRISTMAS
RECEPTION
------------------------PANAJI: Head of Goa's powerful Catholic Church Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao deviated a notch from his usual trait of nudging the social and political establishment with critic on current affairs in his customary address at the annual Christmas civic reception held at Altinho on Friday.
Instead, the religious head focused on people issues and the theme of the Church to dedicate this year to the poor and under-previleged.
Invoking Christ's teachings, Ferrao said: "We cannot celebrate Christ or Christmas without including the poor into our celebration. If there is one season when we need to intensify our sensitivity (samvedana) and compassion (karuna) to the poor around us."
Ferrao said Christ being born in total poverty and laid in a manger, identifies himself with the poorest of the poor and the homeless, and beckons us to do the same. Speaking further, Ferrao said, at Christmas the god of the universe embraces us in our human vulnerability and littleness.
"Partaking in God’s dream, we are challenged to open the horizons of our mind and embrace people whom we are naturally not inclined to love. Like the poor and the downtrodden, for example," he further said.
"Our great Goan poet, Manohar Rai Sardessai aptly points out to this reality when he says, ‘Vishveachem vhoddponn gotthea edem lhan zalem:’ The greatness of the universe became as little as a stable," Ferrao said.
The Archbishop also made a case for bridging the growing rift between discordant groups saying: "We must develop a more positive perception of other people and groups. We tend to think less generously of people and groups we are not familiar with, or who we perceive to be different from us, or even opposed to us."
Ferrao said, Christmas transcends religious affiliations and many people who are not followers of Christ are seen donning Santa Claus caps, doing Christmas shopping, merry-making and even decorating their homes with Christmas trees and lights.
"Actually, doing all this has no meaning, if one does not know what Christmas is all about. It is with this in mind that I invite you to open your hearts and minds to God, by whichever name you may call him. May he lead our lives along the paths of samvedana and karuna and enable us to live according to these profound values enshrined into the ethos of our Indian civilization," Ferrao added.
