Christmas spirit - Let the bells ring out for peace and joy

FOLLOWING a year of natural disasters, it is appropriate to reflect on the relevance of Christmas as a time of rejoicing for families throughout Ireland and around the world.

Above all, this is a time of joy for children - a nostalgic, never to be forgotten time - but for many it is a sad time when absent loved ones are fondly remembered.

It is also a time to visit neighbours, particularly elderly people living alone in remote rural areas or in the heart of busy towns and cities. And it is a time for Christian tolerance towards immigrants and asylum seekers in an increasingly pluralist Ireland.

Unfortunately, the meaning of Christmas is overwhelmed by rampant commercialism as social concerns give way to economic considerations. That stark reality lends even greater significance to the outstanding work of such charities as St Vincent de Paul, SHARE, and the Simon Community, which bring happiness to those on the margins.

Inevitably, this Christmas will see images on our television screens of such horrors as the drowning, last St Stephen’s Day, of countless people in the Asian tsunami and the recent earthquake in Pakistan, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. Thanks to international aid, including the unstinting generosity of Irish people, life is returning to normal in villages and communities in those stricken regions.

Let us hope commercialism will not diminish that generosity or dim our sense of joy and sharing, which make this such a special time.

We wish all readers a holy, peaceful and joyful Christmas.