Pics: Abhijith N Kolpe
Media Release
Mangaluru, Dec 23: The bishop of Mangalore diocese Dr Peter Paul Saldanha on Friday December 23 in his Christmas message said that Christmas is a call to learn the art of loving.
In his address, he said, Warm Greetings of Christmas. Thank you for coming over to share in our joy. When we say Christmas the first thought that comes to our mind is joy and enthusiasm; colourful lights, stars and decoration draw our attention. Another thing that catches our attention is the little Babe in the crib. There you experience simplicity and Peace. It is said, small is beautiful. Beautiful attracts us. God has become small, a beautiful babe, and he attracts us. He draws us to himself to learn from him the art of love. Contemplating Jesus' life, Swami Vivekananda said, ‘Had I lived in Palestine, in the days of Jesus of Nazareth, I would have washed his feet, not with my tears, but with my heart's blood’. He founded the Ramakrishna Mission on the eve of Christmas.
“Like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi also cherished the person and teaching of Jesus. Gandhi forgave those who hurt him as Jesus forgave those who killed him. For a world beset with many contradictions, Gandhi showed the way of love and forgiveness. He identified seven deadly sins which are rampant even today: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, science without humanity, knowledge without character, politics without principle, commerce without morality and worship without sacrifice. Divine love alone can raise us up to come out of this chaos and corruption which affects our society.
“The effect of corruption ‘a deadly cancer’ is very visible. It deadens conscience. In the print, social and digital media we see every day instances of hatred, violence, injustice and brutality. Desire to become powerful and rich at all costs is the predominant thought on which the world runs. Life seems to be money-centred. God is out of the picture. Religion seems to be a mere superficial show. As a result, people in general do not mourn; they do not shed tears when they see a tragedy and that is a matter of concern. Instead some find comfort only in photographing, video-graphing, and forwarding brutal messages. Why is the conscience deadened in spite of all religious practices? What message does Lord Jesus give us in these situations?
“Jesus asks us to realize our true nature. We are created for love, not for hatred. God is love and the enemy of God promotes hatred. Love is heaven and hatred is hell. God became human to teach us the art of loving and self-giving. He has a human face, to help us acquire a divine face. The child born in simplicity and poverty raises up our hope by giving us a call to change our ways towards innocence, and love. Among all virtues love is supreme and it lasts forever. May Lord Jesus generate true love among us. Christian manifests love and service. Some people misguide the gullible to look at the followers of Christ with suspicion. But a true Christian loves as the Lord loved us. Those who promote hatred are, destroying themselves before they destroy others. They do not have God in them and therefore no hope either. I warmly greet you for this Christmas. May the birth of Jesus our Saviour fill into your life goodness and love. Remember, love alone is credible. When you love, you become attractive. May this Christmas make you champions of love. Happy Christmas to you and Blessed New Year 2023,” he said.
Elias Fernandes of Fourwinds communication, John Edward D’Silva, secretary Mangalore diocese, Roy Castelino and Fr J B Saldanha, PROs of Mangalore diocese, Sushil Noronha, organiser, Fr Anil Fernandes, director Canara Communication and Fr Maxim Rosario, estate manager Mangalore diocese were also present.