• Merry Christmas.

May the magic of Christmas fill your home with love, your heart with warmth, and your life with joy.” Wishing you a Christmas wrapped in peace, tied with love, and adorned with goodwill.”,May the spirit of Christmas bring you hope and inspiration for the coming year.

But while celebrating Merry Christmas, we should not forget what Jusus taught. Jesus teaches that what is needed is a new attitude (heart), and not just outward obedience . The command to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves summarizes all the divine commands. Christians should treat others as they themselves wish to be treated . Love for others should be understood primarily as actions, not affection , which is to be extended even to our enemies.
Rulers do not follow the basic moral and tenets of religion. The atmosphere in Bethlehem is heavy with absence.Christmas is cancelled in Bethlehem. Palestinians in the biblical place of Jesus Christ’s birth have this year decided to forego Christmas celebrations in solidarity with the Gazan plight as the Israel-Hamas war drags on even after weeks.

Dr Santosh Kumar Mohapatra