Oh! With a mind of that I have already come in to the university. In my country, we don’t have that much of different in seasons because Sri Lanka is one of the tropical countries. But we also feel the soft climate which prevails especially in the month of December. The middle of winter has long been a time of celebrations around the world. Really! It’s Christmas time again. The most fabulous day of the universe, as this is the particular birthday of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The season of love, hopes, gay as well as forgiveness. It’s a time that we always have the good feelings inside us. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and of course waiting for Santa Claus to arrive.I am a proud Heartian of Sacred Heart Convent in Galle – Sri Lanka. I still can remember how we all celebrated these events in our school before few years ago. Not only the Christians, all the Buddhist children, Islamic children as well as Hindu children had also joined together to welcome the new season with the same pleasure. Not only Christmas, we could celebrate all the festivals in the same manner. We decorated our Christmas trees with various types of ornaments which were created by our own. We covered them with love, hope, kindness, sharing, peace as well as forgiveness. Our voices were different among each other but we sang carols for the same melody gathering all of them together. We exchange gifts; wrapped with love, tied with care and sealed with prayers. We forget all the problems too. The love of Christmas binds all of us together with the passion along with the true meaning of it.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all you mind and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers, they stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” (Luke 10:30-35)
The Samaritans and Jews were sworn enemies and so far the Samaritan to show such love was even more amazing. Jesus wanted everyone to be like this Samaritan.Also, since biblical love seeks the highest for the other person, namely, that the he become more like Christ. Love sometimes requires confronting the person with his sin or letting him experience the consequences requires confronting the person with his sin or letting him experience the consequences of his sin. So that he learns to hate it. (Acts 8:18-24; 13:6:12). Love does not enable a person to continue in sinful or irresponsible ways. Love tries to help a person learn to be obedient to God and responsible to “bear his own load” (Gal. 6.5).
Each year, God asks us to shed one more coat of awareness with one more dreams state and come alive to the vision of God’s plan for each of us as well as the world-at-last. So, we are at another advent season. I am waiting for another Christmas Eve. The celebration of the passion of love! It is the end of another year as well as a beginning of another new year. With all of these, we are growing old! Actually, growing love requires a lifelong effort. You will experience many failures. But your aim should be to love another even as Jesus loves you. Therefore, never give up. Always keep the truth of love and make it true by all your heart and soul.
Figure 3 ( www.flickr.com, 2016)
“Love is kind and patient,
Never jealous, boastful,
Proud or rude.
Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.
Love is always supportive, loyal, helpful and trusting.
Love never fails.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Joy to the world! The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him roomAnd heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
(Song: Joy to the world – Christmas album of Boney M in 1981)