Governor, Ministers Take Part in Christmas Get-together at Bangalore Archdiocese
Media Release
Bangalore, Dec 24: The Archdiocese of Bangalore organized a Christmas get-together with ministers, MLAs, government officials and religious leaders on Sunday December 23.
Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj was the chief guest. A host of MLAs, MLCs, government officials, police personnel, besides union minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress opposition leader Siddaramaiah, former MLAs and religious heads of other faiths were present.
Archbishop Dr Bernard Moras who welcomed the chief guest and others said in his Christmas message that Christmas is the time to reflect upon God’s everlasting love manifested to the whole human race through the person of Christ who was born at Bethlehem.
“It is a universal festival that invites everyone to receive the everlasting gifts of God, namely his love, peace and joy. These gratuitous gifts of God are meant to be shared with all without any discrimination or preference. Today, we are living in a world infested with all kinds of evils such as corruption, fundamentalism, discrimination, etc. Our communities are weak and people are increasingly isolated from their neighbours, at considerable cost to well-being and happiness. Individualism makes people tend to see themselves as individuals and not as part of wider society, leading to selfishness and insularity. Consumerism and greed are so rampant in our society that an excessive desire for money and consumer goods has eclipsed values and aspirations rooted in relationships and communities," he said.
The Archbishop further added, "Gone are the days when values were upheld by all. Today, there is no longer a set of shared values to guide behaviour. Hence there is degradation in values everywhere, and there is also a lack of tolerance, compassion and respect shown to others. The decline of the family unity and values is also another disheartening factor. Family breakdown and poor parenting are felt to cause many other social problems and leave young people particularly vulnerable. Young people are seen as perpetrators of social evils like anti-social behaviour, or the victims of stereotypes and limited opportunities. At times, they become more dangerous and violent than in the past”, he said.
“Addiction to drugs and alcohol is the cause and consequence of many other social problems, like separation, divorce and poverty. Poverty is seen as a corrosive social evil in an affluent society, underpinning other social problems, such as homelessness and social disorder leading to inequality. Exploitation of women and children has become order of the day, and these segments of the society feel insecur," he said.
"Political and religious leaders seem to preach more than what they practice and, therefore, people are losing confidence in them, and our religious beliefs confine only to the external rituals. Today, everything seems to be based around money and owning things. There is nothing wrong with having enough, but there is pressure on people to go for more and more. Media and technology have swayed everyone and make them live in an artificial and inhuman reality. Against these backdrops of our society, we are called to become the agents of change and leaders with a difference, and this is possible only when we uphold and practice values in our own lives.
"True transformation and change have to primarily take place within us. By uprooting prejudice, intolerance, discrimination, hatred and vengeance from our lives can we build a society based on mutual love, respect and peaceful co-existence. For many of us, the Christmas celebration is a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing number of gifts to buy, activities to complete and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions might be sincere. But when we reflect on the mode of these celebrations, we are often left with feeling diminished by our efforts. Our labors great or small, have somehow only touched the surface. Let this year’s Christmas celebration become a special time for all of us to reach out God’s gifts of peace, joy and love to others, especially to the needy and the poor in our neighborhood and city. Only then can we celebrate Christmas meaningfully. Jesus Christ identified himself with the sinners, the poor and the downtrodden. As his followers, we are also called to reach out his love to those who are in need of our help”, he said.
"God wants not our ability, but our availability. I exhort all the people of Karnataka to celebrate a meaningful Christmas in the Spirit, filled with joy and happiness from above," he said, invoking God’s choicest blessings upon all present and wished all a blessed Christmas.
Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj who spoke on the occasion said Christmas is an occasion of great joy and peace and hope. He said people of all major faiths were gathered on the occasion. India has shown great magnanimity and resilience for a peaceful coexistence of major faiths. He exhorted all present to serve the needy, the poor and the downtrodden like the Christian missionaries and Mahatma Gandhi. The Church teaches all tolerance, other virtues and leads all to the right path. Occasion like Christmas is a time to serve the suffering humanity as this is a day of hope for the needy. And it is everyone’s duty to follow the Lord.Lauding the work done by Archbishop Bernard Moras, he said the archbishop leads the community with devotion and dedication.
The governor also presented a bit of history of India and said A O Hume, a Christian started the movement against the British rulers in India and the Indian National Congress was formed. Gandhiji stood for the principles of truth, non-violence, secularism and compassion for the poor. He exhorted everyone to have respect for all religions.
The governor urged the people of walks of life to have a heart for the weakest section of the society. He also stressed the need for probity in public life. The recent phenomenon is marked by indiscipline, non- violence and greed for more and more money. Quoting St Augustine, he said there is a divine presence in everyone’s heart. All are children of one God and unity and diversity are God’s nature. All should strive towards building a society based on equality, mutual respect and service to one another.
Mallikarjun Kharge, union minister for labor giving a Christmas message spoke of the relevance of Christmas in today’s world which needs love, peace and hope more than ever.
Dance, songs and skits marked the occasion and made it more meaningful.