President’s message is a timely call

PRESIDENT Higgins issued his Christmas and new year’s message, appealing to people to consider the homeless, echoing the nativity tale of the plight of Joseph and Mary when they found ‘no room at the inn’ as their baby was about to be born. 

Considering the many hundreds of people already homeless in Ireland and forced to live on the streets, it is a timely call for Christian solidarity and compassion.

As we celebrate the festive season, it is worth considering the real meaning of Christmas and Christianity which can be summed up in three words: “Love thy neighbour.”

All well-meaning people, whatever their religious beliefs — or those who have none — will acknowledge that humanity owes much to these Christian values.

The President reminded us of the plight of refugees and how, “as people of a migrant nation we are perhaps uniquely placed to understand the great agony experienced by the 60 million displaced people”.

In other words, while charity may begin at home, it doesn’t end there.