Give your Gifts to the poor in the name of your friends
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay Cullen
Surrounded by the glitter of sparkling lights, stores bulging with consumer goods, supermarket shelves overflowing gifts, it is so easy to think that Christmas is a festival of lights and laughter, frivolity and a jolly fat Santa Claus with prancing reindeer and hollow ho ho hos. Merchants tell us we must give gifts and send greeting cards but they don't explain why.
World Aids Day comes around this week and few people realize that many of the 45 million infected worldwide will never see another Christmas. The true spirit of Christmas would be, if the billion dollar pharmaceutical companies gave life saving drugs free to the poor and at cost price to those who could afford.
They grow so rich on the suffering of others they can well afford it. This Christmas, we could no better than to send a Christmas message to them. “Dear Drug company, for a really happy Christmas share your retro-viral drugs with the poor and save a few millions lives, and don't block others from making cheap copies. Yours,” etc.
For almost two thirds of the world’s children, Christmas means nothing. They will receive no gift, no relief from hunger and suffering and one will die every 30 seconds from malnutrition, HIV-AIDS or related preventable diseases like malaria or diarrhea. By the time you finish reading this column three or four will have died with burning fevers, splitting headaches and emaciated bodies. Think of this when you see the kids at home having a tantrum on Christmas morning because they didn't get the latest most expensive play station that could fund an African relief clinic for a month.
If the world knew and embraced the true meaning of Christmas and waged an all-out-war against poverty, disease, corruption and injustice all this waste of life would be prevented. The great powers are too busy spending billions killing people in a vain attempt to gain control of the world’s third largest oil reserves in Iraq. 26,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed and more die every day.
Christmas has lost its meaning for most. It is no longer the celebration of the birth of one who came in dire poverty to change a very unjust world of greed and avarice, exploitation and abuse to one where love, peace and compassion are the goals of a worthy human life and civilization itself.
We don't need the gifts that we give and receive. We are never hungry deprived; in fact we are pampered and spoiled with more wealth than is good for us.
All Christmas gifts are pale shadows of the symbolic gifts of the Magi that were laid at the feet of him who would declare the poor blessed and deserving of a just distribution of those riches. If Jesus Christ was believed and his example followed, then genuine wealth sharing would be public policy and it would bring the peace and justice that would cut the roots of violence and terrorism.
While the uncaring will booze themselves sick good people of generosity, good will and self-sacrifice will be helping the poor, and working to change these injustices with selfless service to the sick, the refugees, and the victims of abuse and human rights violations.
They are on the front line this Christmas. If we can’t get out there ourselves lets take inspiration and hope from their dedication and commitment. We ought to give to a charity with a worthy cause. Write to your friends. “Dear friend, your Christmas gift went to a starving child in Africa or Asia and will save a life and free a child prisoner. I know you would prefer it this way. Happy Christmas. Yours”....etc. Will they love you less for that ? I doubt it. [End]
