Reflecting on love during the Yuletide season

Jesus Christ for whom we celebrate the Christmas symbolizes love. And much of his teachings dwell on the importance of love in human societies. Yet today, love is a scarce commodity among humans. Countless Christian faithful, who observe the Christmas festival are misanthropes. Instead of doing charitable work, they perpetrate evil deeds. But peace is […]

Jesus Christ for whom we celebrate the Christmas symbolizes love. And much of his teachings dwell on the importance of love in human societies. Yet today, love is a scarce commodity among humans. Countless Christian faithful, who observe the Christmas festival are misanthropes. Instead of doing charitable work, they perpetrate evil deeds.

But peace is absent from our world. Many countries are ravaged by conflicts, terrorists acts, and other atrocious deeds, which are committed by humans. They are proofs that humans do not possess the virtue of love. For example, people, who committed homicidal deeds, are not actuated by feelings of love. Politicians, who divert public money into their private bank accounts, do not possess the virtue of love, too. 

So are today’s Christians, who joyously  celebrate the Christmas festival, true followers of Jesus Christ? The answer blows in the air.

Not surprisingly, preparatory to Christmas, people commit sundry crimes so as to acquire money with which they will buy things for the celebration of Christmas. It is during Christmas that some stupendously rich people buy new cars to increase the number of cars in their fleet. Yet, their relatives, who live in their neck of wood, wallow in abject poverty. Many people, who are very rich, do not look the way of the poor during the Christmas so as to help them live decently and comfortably.

Rather than lift their fellow country people out of the dungeon of extreme poverty, the rich people in our midst, who have misplaced priorities, use their wealth to satisfy their hedonistic and materialistic desires. So, do they have the virtue of love?

More so, over the years, our celebration of Christmas has metamorphosed for the worse. It has taken the hue of pagan orgies of sex and drink and bacchanalian parties. During past Christmas celebrations, some people died in fatal car accidents owing to drunk-driving. And on past Christmas days, some vulnerable teenagers were put in the family way by lascivious bounders. 

But it is incredible and sad that the reason for our commemoration of the birthday of Jesus Christ is lost on the people. A majority of the people in the Christendom have forgotten that Jesus Christ, for whom we celebrate the Christmas, symbolises love.  

Now that we are in another cycle of the yuletide season, it behooves us to reflect on Christ’s timeless teachings on love, and imbibe them. In today’s world, not a few people are destitute of fellow-feeling. But Jesus Christ, who is our Messiah and Redeemer, admonished us to be our brother’s keeper. 

Chiedu Uche Okoye wrote from Uruowulu-Obosi Anambra State