In two days, we will celebrate Christmas. This year it will be a somber event for Americans. For many, the green of mistletoe and pine boughs will be replaced by the black bunting of grief. In the last eleven months the COVID virus has killed over 326,000 of our fellow Americans and infected over 17,000,000 more. Only four other events in our history are worse: the genocide of our Indigenous Peoples, the Civil War, the 1918 Flu, and World War II.
And the agony is not yet over. The list of the dead continues to grow.
Our economy is in tatters with millions out of work and facing homelessness, hunger, and disease. Our children’s education and socialization suffer. And even though there are now vaccinations starting to become available, it will be another six months or longer before we can hope to see our conditions change.
Our society is being pulled apart from within and without. Some of our politicians actively sow the seeds of discord and division, while foreign powers such as the Russians and Chinese attack us with disinformation and ransack of our networks. Axis propaganda during WWII was not as pervasive or dangerous as Russian and Chinese influence is today.
To add to the chaos, our leader shows signs of mental instability and is continuously trying to overturn the will of the people, as shown in the recent, fair election. Our military leaders along with his closest aids worry that he will attempt to entangle our military in an illegal attempt to declare martial law and nullify the election.
Sadly, many of our fellow Americans have embraced this fever dream. They believe conspiracy theories spun by madmen, charlatans, and foreign agent provocateurs. Some even encourage the use of violence against their fellow Americans. Indeed, this is a dark and sad time of year.
What is needed now, more than other Yule time, is the Christmas message.
This is the time we celebrate and rejoice, the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. During His brief life, Jesus set in motion a force that over two millennia has transformed our world. While some have used his name to promote violence, cruelty and war, His message remains clear. Christ taught that we should do onto others as we would wish to be done onto ourselves. His teachings were about loving our fellow man, caring for the sick, poor, and downtrodden. He embraced criminals and prostitutes and preached redemption, the ability to change and become our better selves. When He was crucified, He spent his remain hours alongside two criminals, sharing a similar fate.
Christ sacrificed Himself knowing that His act would make the world a better place for all people.
In a way, this year, this Christmas has been the path that has led us to Golgotha. Our struggles are far from over and we must make sacrifices so that the world be become a better future for ourselves, our children, and our home, Earth.
Let us remember what Christmas is about. Goodwill towards all, giving the gift of Peace and Acceptance to those that we have struggled with. Reaching out to the suffering and renewing our commitment to serve them: sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, comforting the troubled, and working to end the causes that create their misery.
Most importantly, we need to remember that we are all God’s children, one colorful, diverse family, sharing the same pilgrimage towards redemption. We all are following the path towards our better selves.
Our nation was created so that we could make this journey. Our Founders were imperfect, beings on their own pilgrimages. Hence, their creation is flawed too. Yet, our nation far exceeds the sum of its frail builders. Our nation, like ourselves, is on a path towards redemption.
So, let us remember and rejoice at the profound truths that Jesus taught. Love one another. Treat each other as we want to be treated. Reach out and provide comfort for those that are afflicted. As we improve the lives of others, our lives improve too.
All humanity is one family, children of God, we are bound together by our blood and genes. And we all are on a journey towards redemption.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to All Faiths and Beliefs, Peace On Earth and Goodwill to All.
May 2021 see us united in healing our world.