Below is the following Christmas message from the President of Barbados, Her Excellency The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason:
Fellow Barbadians, residents, and visitors to our shores.
It is Christmas time again and I greet you with all of the festive spirit of the season.
The Christmas story is so familiar to all of us that like many other aspects of our lives, we take it all for granted. Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem to be registered. Mary is pregnant and is about to give birth, but there is no room in the inn only a manger in the stable where the baby Jesus was born. The visitation by the angel to the shepherds. The visit by the shepherds to the Baby Jesus and the later visit by the Wise Men.
All these point us to the essence of the Christmas story – the birth of the Saviour of the World to save lost mankind and leading us to a better way of life on this earth.
In this Christian celebration, there are four small words which we hear repeatedly throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons, and I want to reflect on them and see how we may use them to inspire us to do better this Christmas and throughout the coming year.
These words, some may say virtues or values, are hope, joy, peace, and love.
The Chambers English Dictionary defines hope as “to cherish a desire of good with some expectation of fulfilment.” To hope is a positive action, yet many among us are living with a sense of hopelessness and despair. They see nothing positive in their lives and hence in some instances, this type of outlook may lead to suicide.
The birth of the Christ child over more than two thousand years ago was a symbol of hope – the coming of the long-expected Messiah, the Saviour of the world. For Christians today, it is the hope of the Second Coming that is awaited with some expectation.
However, the birth of Jesus and His life on earth expose us to a way of life that emphasises positive living, which points to embracing hope. As the saying goes: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” There is, therefore, always the belief that things will be better.
As individuals and as a nation, we must live with hope and encourage others to do the same. A kind word and a positive outlook can make so much difference to persons around us. We cannot afford to be prophets of doom and gloom.
Are we guiding our young people along a positive path – praising them for a job well done or explaining and showing them how to do better the next time? Are we giving them hope?
When I think of joy, I only have to picture in my mind’s eye the performances of young children at Christmas time, with their enthusiasm and excitement as they recite their poems and verses and sing their songs. No misstep or forgotten word or line seems to faze them. They are caught up in their moment on stage and their palpable happiness brings much joy to the onlookers, especially parents and guardians who are as enraptured as the children.
All of us have joyful moments in our lives. We feel and experience joy at graduations, weddings and other happy occasions for ourselves and other persons in our lives. We even share joy sometimes with total strangers. We have to take positive actions to ensure that joy is a part of our everyday living and more importantly that we can share it with others.
The birth of Jesus brought joy into the world and His life can be a guide for our lives as Jesus in His life’s work brought joy to many people.
A noteworthy quotation from Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy is – “Joy can be real only if people look on their life outside themselves and their personal happiness.”
At His birth, the Christ child was referred to as the Prince of Peace. In these tumultuous times, we are called to be vessels or instruments of peace in our homes, communities, work and social spaces. If we can prevent even one instance of conflict, it would be worthwhile.
As a nation, we need to embrace a culture of peace and peaceful living in our communities. We have to exhibit peaceful living so that our children may be exposed to it at an early age.
The overarching virtue, may I dare say, the jewel in the crown, that is, the glue that binds the other three words is love. God sent His son Jesus into the world to save the world. Jesus gave the command to love your neighbour as yourself. Love makes all the difference in our lives and how we see others.
We, as a nation, show love at Christmas but there is need to show love every day of the year starting with loving ourselves so that we can truly share love with each other in tangible ways.
As we love and share love this Christmas time, let us open our lives to meet the New Year as a peaceful people with hope, exuding joy so that we can help each other to face any challenges that may be on the horizon.
I wish each and every one of you a Happy Christmas!
