Now that the year is heading to a close
with many memories of the past few months still present in our minds, so we
approach and prepare for that Festival of Love that we in the West call
Christmas.
It is based on the
Winter Solstice when the sunlight of the shortest day brings us a lengthening
of the days to come and that promise of spring and later summer days of
laughter and harvesting.
In the 21st
Century, where life is based on the material aspects of existence, many may
have forgotten or moved away from the basic necessities that bring us our food
and water.
If we look at the
Middle East today, we are reminded of the destruction and hatred between
peoples that live there today. The
emergency supplies are inadequate and the willingness to help each other is
strained beyond the rights of humanity.
There are far too many factions that will
not heed the words of the great prophet Jesus, who walked and talked there two
millennia ago and the so called sacred sites are memories only for what once
was the purity of the birth of a new way of living.
The negativity brought from the hatred of
ones neighbour and the coveting of what he has got, show Mankind’s intolerance
and fear that has been stoked up over many years by the Western nations playing
politics with people’s lives.
How can families look at the crib of the
birth of the Saviour without seeing the blood and misery that the region has to
suffer today?
It is the little children who suffer most
and many lose their families and their innocence, all due to heavy-handedness
of the sellers of armaments and the greed and corruption of the politicians.
At Christmastide, many look to the numerous
religions to see what they are doing with their wealth and promises of telling
all who will listen that they have got it right and all others have got it
wrong.
It is high time that they showed the way to
the love and peace of the world and as the Prophet Jesus told all who listened
to his words that we should love our neighbour.
Where will the charity be this
Christmastide for the homeless and the lonely, many of whom will not know where
their next meal is coming from, when the tables of the Western culture has tables
laden with food and drink.
May we give our heartfelt thanks to those
who do give up their time and work for charities, putting their lives at risk
to serve humanity with their time and skills?
Let us all remember that we will be called
to answer the question, “What did you do
with your life for the betterment of humanity and is the world a better place
because you lived out a life there?”
It is no use
sleeping your lives away and only seeing the immediate and often more
comfortable way around you. We were not
given a life to live here by the Higher Intelligence to just get through it and
spend our time in materialistic pleasures.
We all came with a
purpose to fulfil and we need to understand that, so that we are guided in the
right way to make that difference for the Greater Good and not simply ignore
the realities of life around this world.
There is a greater
intelligence above and beyond our own and to ignore it is arrogance and
reflects the size of our ego above the rest and it will preclude the giving of
love to those in need.
Our actions come
from the heart and control our mind-set into giving and receiving in equal
measure, such is the balance of a good life, where the basic needs of humanity
have a chance to prosper.
Let this Christmas
Festival of Love be demonstrated to those who are in need and not an extension
of those who are already spoilt with too much.
Jenny and Michael Ayers
Monday, 5th December 2016
