For many people, Christmas is the most happiest time of the year no matter what religion they may be and wherever they are. For Christians, this season is when we enjoy good food, presents and cheers with the ones we love. However, it is also the same period where the real story and meaning of the season is put into the forefront as we Christians openly talk about Jesus, welcome people into our homes and pay money to send cards with the Nativity scene depicted in them.
Despite how Christmas is now seen in the world today, church leaders would say Christmas' real essence is still remembered with how Christians celebrate the season. However, it is important to remember that Christmas is not always fun for all as there are groups who have it rough even in this time of year.
Here are the five groups of people Christians should remember in their prayers or assist this Christmas season:
1. Single parent or divorced families
Although these families do not represent the traditional structure of a family, for this season, this fact should be set aside to give the children from these families a great Christmas. For some of these families, they could not reach out to their relatives due to their situation. In some instances, our treatment to their situation makes them feel excluded and different. The Church is a place of acceptance and as members of the church, we should accept these families and make them feel welcome especially at a time where all of us should celebrate God's unconditional love for all.
2. People living in absolute or relative poverty
Christmas is often synonymous to immense spending and for some people, living up to the expectations brought by the season can be hard to achieve. Many countries around the world have a percentage of their people living in either absolute poverty or relative poverty. While there are ways the Church assists these people in need, normal Christians tend to forget that these people cannot easily celebrate Christmas because of trying to find means to pay their debts and sustain their basic needs.
3. The homeless and those in temporary settlements
This group of people are often the ones who benefit from the Church's assistance, especially in time for Christmas. For most of us, we often ignore their plight and the fact that for them, Christmas would be yet again celebrated in the streets.
4. Church leaders
For the Church, Christmas is a time for celebration, especially if you are a member of the congregation. However, for those who lead and plan for the church's events for the year, they tend to sacrifice a lot of things: including their Christmas plans with their families just to make the church event successful. Us Christians should find ways to support church leaders.
Simple encouragement and kindness, and if you can, help ouy, could go a long way for these leaders. Even our parish priests need support at this time of the year.
5. Recently-bereaved families
Finally, Christmas can be a time for some families to feel loss, especially if their loved ones have passed away this year or recently. This is going to be a painful time for them to process their grief, as well as deal with the emotional gap left by these people. We can help them at least alleviate their sadness and pain in this time of the year by making sure they know they are loved, that their situation is understood and they are surrounded by people who care for them.
It is important to remember that the examples on how to help these people are just some of the ways we can help these people. Their responses would also vary. However, as they say, every thought counts and for this Christmas season, everyone deserves to celebrate and feel loved.
