In preparation for Christmas 2020

At this time in the previous years, many of our cities and villages in our dear governorates were racing to announce the Christmas celebrations, the patronship of events, in addition to competing for installing the tallest tree, the largest decorations and the widest manger. As for Santa Clause, he used to fill the streets with his laughter  and with the sound of his bells resounding at a time when joyful children open their sparkling gifts, various bazaars and cultural clubs open their halls, and the scout bands play impressive music.

In 2020, we are overwhelmed with many queries.  How is the feast going to be this year at a time when the churches have started preparing for the period preceding Christmas which is called “the Advent”?

It is Advent par excellence in this unique year which is nonpareil with its strangeness. The world awaits the announcement on the time the vaccines will be delivered and how effective they are. This is the grand time of waiting. It is the time when the essence of the feast remains constant as several church functionaries rush to announce virtual bazaars or a live-streamed lighting the Christmas tree with a very small attendance.

The Feast this year, namely December 25, falls on a Friday which is the day on which we are used to observe lockdowns. We are definitely awaiting in this regard a relevant official statement to be announced in cooperation between official government agencies and the Heads of the Council of Churches in our dear country.

As the church pastors and clergymen began to focus in their sermons on the essence of the feast as well as on its spirituality and the significances of its sublime peace, a call was made to extend a helping hand to the poor and the needy, especially to those affected by the Corona pandemic which reflects concern and pains. There is nothing wrong this year with sacrificing glamorous manifestations and replacing them with support for the poor who are negatively affected at this difficult time. For example, the amount of aid provided by the Latin Patriarchate to the poor families during the pandemic period is about JD70,000, apart from helping a number of university students and giving special discounts on school fees for students enrolled in the Lain Patriarchate schools in Jordan which number 24. Even the discount granted in this period has been called the Corona discount, which did not cause any reduction in the salaries of teachers and workers in these schools. This measure contributes to a homeland fund which is designed to alleviate the suffering experienced by the citizens at this time.

The feast will definitely be marked, and joy is coming. The chance is open for excellence, for expression of joy, as well as for the conveyance of condolences to the mourners who lost loved ones, to the poor who have lost their jobs even partially, and to the children that Santa Clause is no longer the main actor this year. The main actor is the Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ, who came from Bethlehem. We hope that His birth will mark the emergence of a new humanity which underlines victory on the pandemic as a result of the scientific and medical achievements which go hand-in-hand with love and altruism.

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