By Father Paul Kam Po-wai
Many people worldwide celebrate Christmas by wishing one another “Merry Christmas,” but when they say “Merry Christmas” how many of them know what they are saying? How many people celebrate Christmas and the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ? I believe that only Christians can understand Christmas more accurately. So we Christians must be witnesses; Christmas is a great opportunity to spread the Word.
In Hong Kong, Church schools make the Saviour known to students and teachers through teaching, activities and religious services; Church groups bring the good news of the birth of our Saviour, peace, joy, comfort and love to people through carolling as well as visits to homes for the elderly, hospitals, prisons, street sleepers, street cleaners, etc. Many laypeople invite their non-believer family and friends to Midnight Mass to give them a taste of the real Christmas spirit.
Christians did not let go of the opportunity to spread the good news of the Saviour’s birth to others in different ways, even while the Covid 19 pandemic was restricting community and social activities. With the pandemic subsiding this year, there will certainly be more opportunities and space for evangelisation, and I am sure we will all have a happy Christmas.
When I served in a parish in Tanzania, I drove the children to the nearby orphanage and home for disabled children to go carolling every year. When we drove to the orphanage, more than 20 children played the drums and sang to tell people about the Good News. In addition, every year, the parishioners perform a drama before the Midnight Mass, presenting not only the Christmas story but also some contemporary stories in between for people to reflect on their faith and life. These performances attracted many non-believers from the village as well as parishioners.
Three years ago, in Cambodia, I served in a village of about 150 families with Catholic backgrounds. However, because of historical changes, relocations and marriages, most villagers are not Catholics now. But they still have a tradition of putting up decorations outside their gates to celebrate Christmas. When they turn on the lights in the evening, it is beautiful and Christmas-like, and the decorations attract passers-by.
On Christmas Eve, the young people and children of our parish would form two groups, one starting at the beginning of the village and the other at the end. They would go door to door proclaiming the Good News. They would sing Christmas songs, give out Christmas gifts and invite the villagers to attend the Midnight Mass in the church. There was a big celebration on Christmas Day, with Mass in the morning, and a carnival throughout the day, to which all villagers and others were welcome. There was also a show in the evening presenting Christmas songs and a special musical with traditional Cambodian music and dances, which was very interesting and lively.
The following day, my colleagues and I would drive two vehicles, with about 20 young people, for more than three hours to another village and hold a Christmas party in the evening. It would attract about 200 villagers to celebrate. With only five lay people in the village, these young men became missionaries, bringing the good news of the Saviour’s birth to the villagers through music and performance.
Christmas presents many opportunities for evangelisation, and we need to make the most of them. Let us all be witnesses and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with our brothers and sisters around us.
Merry Christmas! 聖誕快樂! Heri ya Krisimasi! រីករាយថ្វែបុណ្យណូអែល!
