PANAJI
Appealing to Christians to pray in a special way for the country on Christmas Day and throughout the holy Christmas Season, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has also hoped that the nation may find the right path to progress, in truth, love and service.
In a special Christmas message to the people of India, CBCI Secretary General Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas highlighted the importance of Christmas and its significance in the country.
“Christmas Day, for us Christians, is a very special day. We set aside our usual activity of work and office and spend the day in prayer and family celebrations because on that day we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. This tradition goes back to centuries and we appreciate that in our beloved country this national holiday is celebrated with us by all our friends cutting across religious and regional lines,” said Bishop Mascarenhas.
“Jesus Christ came into the world as the Prince of Peace, the bearer of Joy, the herald of Hope, the embodiment of Love. We love our country and pray for its welfare always. On Christmas Day and throughout the holy Christmas Season, we Christians will pray in a special way for our country.”
“It is our prayer that our country may be blessed with a lasting peace, that harmony and love may reign supreme in our nation and that all of us specially our young ones may look forward to life with hope.”
Admitting that the country faces “numerous challenges of caste discrimination, violence, divisive forces, and a widening gap between the haves and the have nots,” Bishop Mascarenhas has hoped that “our beloved nation may find the right path to progress, in truth, love and service.”
“May each one of us, like the Lord Jesus, care for the poor, help the needy and promote justice in our land. May violence on our borders end, and may our leaders rule us with wisdom and sagacity and may every Indian, man and woman, boy and girl, experience the love and peace of the Almighty,” he added.
