Christmas is all about giving, sharing and caring

Millions of Christians around the world celebrate Christmas today, the birth of their saviour Jesus Christ in Bethlehem some 2011 years ago.

The Christmas season gives an opportunity for all of us to unite in peace. We in Sri Lanka, expect that the true meaning of Christmas would strengthen national reconciliation and bring prosperity to our beautiful island. Especially at a time when the country has been united after the eradication of terrorism, it is the duty of one and all to give a better meaning to the peace we have earned through numerous sacrifices and untold hardship.

Christmas has turned out to be more than a religious event. Over the years, Christmas has become a global event, celebrated by people all over the world. Christmas is an event looked forward to by many belonging to different races. They observe it with joy and rejoicing sans boundaries.

Christianity provides the best example on ethnic harmony in Sri Lanka as there are Sinhalese, Tamils and Burghers among the Christian community in the island. The Christian minority here would share their joy with neighbours belonging to other religious persuasions. Over the years, they have lived in harmony, sharing the good times and the bad.

Similarly, the Buddhists here too have lived in harmony, helping their fellow citizens belonging to different religious beliefs. They do not need foreign 'godfathers' to pontificate to them on peace and harmony. The secret of Christianity success all over the world, among different nations is due to its supreme Law of Love, the core proclamation of Jesus Christ, that man must not only love God selflessly and do his bidding but also love his neighbour in equal measure.

As the festive season reaches its peak with Holy mass in churches all over the world at midnight, we must ponder on the very meaning of the word - Christmas, which has been flooded by a torrent of commercialism to the point where most people have forgotten the true significance of this Holy day.

The piety of Christmas faces a high risk of being overtaken by eye-catching illuminations, decorative stuff, pictures of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, all-night parties and carnivals. It is wrongly portrayed as a season of splashing on worldly goods and generally having a gala time. There is nothing wrong in engaging in a festive splurge. But at the same time, we should pause a moment to reflect on the words of Jesus, who called for compassion to all.

True Christians must remember the poor and the downtrodden during the season. As Jesus Christ has taught, Christmas is all about giving, sharing and caring. The less affluent and under-privileged segments of our society must be uppermost in our minds. Thousands of people who have either become unfortunate victims or lost their loved ones due to terrorist acts here should have a prime place in their prayers.

We should always think of those who have made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of us to protect our country. It is due to those untiring efforts of our valiant Security Forces that we enjoy Christmas in its true spirit, sans fear of terror attacks. Our profound gratitude should go to all those brave soldiers who vanquished terror and liberated the country for us to live in harmony.

On the other hand, Christmas should be a day for reflecting on the need for national reconciliation after three decades of terror unleashed by the LTTE. There is a generation in our midst who know nothing but war. All that those innocent youth in the North have seen are war and terrorist acts of the LTTE. These youth and children have now started understanding gradually what they had missed due to terrorism.

Sri Lanka has been blessed with a genial commitment to the ways and the values of a multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-cultural society for centuries. While maintaining one's ethnic and religious identity, we must respect the beliefs of all other faiths. Though petty party politics brought about bitter divisions in almost every sphere of life and racial conflicts erupted in the 1950s, the relationship between the Buddhists and Christians has been healthy and productive. But petty party politics and people with vested interests have created differences among the citizens of our country.

Sri Lanka has lost many loyal and patriotic sons of our soil due to terrorism. Their families have undergone tremendous suffering as a result.

There are thousands of innocent Tamils who have now been resettled and beginning a new chapter in their lives. They are our own people, our own brothers and sisters who had been subjected to untold privations due to the LTTE's ruthless terror.

Thanks to the right political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa that effectively combined with the dedication of the Security Forces, these civilians have got a new lease of life. Our thoughts and prayers should always be with them and those who are being rehabilitated.

While we celebrate and enjoy this festive season, there are true sons of our soil who spend many sleepless nights in bunkers, still taking no chances on national security. These brave Security Forces personnel are sacrificing their joy and happiness to make our country one of the safest in the world. We must not forget that all of us could afford to celebrate the festive season with our loved ones because of the utmost dedication and devotion of our brave soldiers. They had been hundreds of miles away from their families and loved ones and fought a victorious battle against terrorism. We could add better value to those herculean feats of the Security Forces by making an active contribution to the national reconciliation process. We should not leave any room for interested international elements to meddle with Sri Lanka's internal affairs.

We should take the message of love and caring this Christmas, that would heal the wounds of misunderstandings in the past, narrow differences among different ethnic groups, not only in Sri Lanka but the world over. As Christians believe, that is the world that Jesus Christ expects from man. Irrespective of our beliefs or nationality, the time is now opportune for all human beings in the global village to join hands and unite in peace.