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Christmas has come for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at a time when the world still trembles under the spell of a mortal adversary.
The global coronavirus pandemic has affected the most celebrated Christian holiday, which usually comes with much enthusiasm and fanfare.
The fear of death continues to dominate the holiday season. Billions of Christians around the world have been forced to shorten Christmas celebrations both spiritually and physically. This is unprecedented for believers in Christ who kept their faith against great adversities such as war, famine, plagues, natural disasters, and tyranny.
In the time of Covid-19, amid movement and collection restrictions and strict health guidelines, Christmas has fallen into a black hole.
For the first time in known history, Christmas for most people will be marked without Santa Claus, family gatherings, Christmas carols, Masses and parties. Many people will disappear from family tables this Christmas season, as some have died from the virus and others fear contagion and death.
Catholicism in 21st century China
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Undoubtedly fewer mangers and Christmas trees were sold this year worldwide, as market reports suggest.
Many Christians have decided to stop decorating and lighting houses and churches this year. They also cut their Christmas expenses due to the economic consequences of the loss of jobs and income caused by the pandemic.
For most Catholics, this Christmas will be a sad and lonely affair lacking the usual Christmas spirit.
Catholics are required to confess their sins to priests once a year, and many do so days before Christmas. Many have refrained from seeking this spiritual food this year.
In Asia, where Christians are a minority except the Philippines and Timor-Leste, Christmas used to be the historic event of the year, the hallmark of the minority Christian presence in most of Asia.
With restrictions in place against large public gatherings during Christmas, Christians have become invisible with little opportunity to present their Christian identity, traditional culture and customs.
In Singapore, Christmas services will be conducted primarily online, which means that beautiful Christmas hymns and carols can only resonate virtually. Some churches have raised the mass attendance limit from 100 to 250, but that’s heartbreaking for many more who wanted to attend a coveted public mass.
Churches in Malaysia have also decided to suspend public masses and public functions, including the house-to-house carol, amid a surge in Covid-19 infections, which is a cause of consternation for Christians representing the 13 percent of the population. Christmas celebrations, including parties and street caravans, have become banned.
The holiday season is also the time to showcase Asia’s rich cultural heritage in the form of liturgy and associated programs. That is not the case at the time of the pandemic.
With government bans on public gatherings, Catholics in the Philippines and Indonesia, who are accustomed to a wonderfully infectious style of worship in churches and on the streets, are no longer able to display their rich variety of culture and customs during Christmas.
In South Korea, the pandemic has increased in recent months, prompting the government to enforce the measures again. The Diocese of Daejeon has a special Holy Village to comfort Catholics and encourage them to come to church.
Many immigrant Christians in South Asian nations flock from cities to village homes to celebrate Christmas with family, relatives and friends. But this year, many people are not making the trip because they are haunted by fear of the virus and mental anguish.
Christians in Bangladesh have decided to ditch popular traditions such as Christmas gatherings, community banquets, Christmas carol competitions and cultural functions, as the ban on public gatherings is in effect. Financial constraints and a psychosocial recession are also causes of this depression.
However, Christmas this year should not be seen as a sadness and doom. As Christians, we have a real opportunity to contemplate the true meaning of Christmas: to be one in love, to share and to sacrifice for others like Jesus Christ two millennia ago.
We must bear in mind that the first Christmas, when the Son of God was born in a humble stable, was as calm and silent as today. Jesus became the greatest man ever born and the savior of mankind.
Let this discreet Christmas without the usual pomp and color become a beacon of hope and inspiration for us to achieve great feats without neglecting the fear of death.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
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