Carmona: Time for forgiveness

He pointed out that His Holiness Pope Francis had declared 2016 as the Ecclesiastical year of Mercy and Forgiveness.

“To the families that have grown apart for whatever reason, Christmas time can be the balm that can heal and unify broken family relationships and fractured friendships.

We must engender hearts and minds that rejoice in the miracle that is Christmas. What better time for forgiveness than this season of peace and harmony,” he said.

He quoted the author, Clarence Baird in his Christmas message in December 1919 in The Spirit of Christmas “Close your book of grievances against the universe and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness and go your way unobserved.” Carmona urged citizens to let this Christmas be the catalyst that transforms our personal lives and positively change our relationships with each other.

“At this Christmas time, extend a helping hand to your fellow man, whether it may be to assist a differently-abled person to cross that street of life, to purchase a toy for a child whose parents cannot afford to or simply by being kind and compassionate to each other. Your genuine act of kindness will not only assist someone else but will fill you with tremendous personal joy and contentment,” he advised.

Carmona said the way of life associated with Christmas can manifest itself in people’s daily lives, in the way they treat each other, their parents, co-workers, children and even strangers.

He pointed out that Christmas may be an emotionally and financially trying time for some.

“Jobs have been lost, homes and roads have been shattered and destroyed by the force of Mother Nature, the results of climate change and environmental degradation.

And then there is the ultimate- the loss of cherished ones through natural causes and regrettably through violence. It can all put a damper on this Yuletide season and there is no easy fix to ease that sense of loss and grief. We have all lost loved ones and Christmas time can be a stark reminder of what really matters. Bring back we must, the Christ-Child in Christmas,” he added. Mrs Carmona urged all to celebrate the real magic of Christmas and “one that ensures that the weak becomes strong, the sad, happy, the marginalised, to feel a sense of inclusion and the broken-hearted to be embraced with a caring heart”.

“We cannot therefore allow the true meaning of Christmas to be forgotten and Christmas must not be about mere dividends, goods sold and bought and profits made. In the energised, happy hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and preparation, we should always take some time to truly appreciate the reason for the season, the birth of the Saviour Lord Jesus Christ,” she said.

“Let us therefore, give a gift that lasts, a gift that endures for all time this Christmas. We can all be a better son or daughter, a better husband or wife, a better neighbour, a better friend, a better citizen and most of all, the best person that we can be.”