TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Celebrating Christmas in the ecological spirit
That is why celebrating Christmas must not ignore its horizontal meaning of building solidarity and compassion with those in need.
Change Size
Merry Christmas. (-/-)
T
he very first Christmas in history was a pointed social critique of the principle of the prosperity of the few that ignored the poverty of the many.
Christians begin their journey of hope toward the celebration of Christmas from Advent, a period that lasts four weeks. On this journey, Christians reflect on the abundance of God’s love for mankind. God’s love began at the very beginning of creation in the Garden of Eden.
It was there that God gave the promise of salvation to Eve, that the Life-Giver would be born from her offspring. He was born through the “New Eve”: the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was chosen by God to conceive and give birth to Jesus without experiencing pain in childbirth, a punishment for Eve’s sin. Mary was freed from this because she was conceived without blemish in order to conceive and give birth to Jesus the Redeemer. The abundant life that God promises does not depend on material possessions, but centers on a relationship of love and justice.
The past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have seen many of us prepare to welcome Christmas in a unique and different way. It has led us to celebrate Christmas with a new perspective on what is most important in our lives. Humanity has been challenged to lead a new way of life and relationships by enhancing the lives and dignity of all creation.
In particular, Christians are called to celebrate Christmas joyfully, but also more modestly. Theologically, Christmas is an event representing the spirit of simplicity in the Son of God Most High who became human, even of very lowly birth to a poor family.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the first Christmas is a sharp social critique of the prosperity of the few that ignores the poverty of the many.
In ecology, everything is interdependent and interconnected. The celebration of Christmas is inseparable from this principle of interdependence and interconnectedness. That is why celebrating Christmas must not ignore its horizontal meaning of building solidarity and compassion with those in need. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to realize this reality with gratitude.
