Christmas in Brazil
Barb de Souza – Brazil
It is that time of year again; that celebration of the one who brought hope to the oppressed, the poor and the disenfranchised. We celebrate with loved ones, the birth of Christ the redeemer. In that innocent babe born in the most humble of places, we have God’s love come to us in human form.
Dear friends,
It is that time of year again; that celebration of the one who brought hope to the oppressed, the poor and the disenfranchised. We celebrate with loved ones, the birth of Christ the redeemer. In that innocent babe born in the most humble of places, we have God’s love come to us in human form.
It is a time also to look over the past year and to think of the year to come. This past year has been one of worldwide turmoil and as I write this I find it hard to celebrate this year for the world. There has been so much tragedy and loss of life. I have been frustrated as I try to find lovely words to express this season. I felt such a lack of inspiration that I looked up other person’s inspired words for this time of year.
I am reminded that in the birth of this babe, we see the preciousness of life, the beauty and miracle of birth. If life is so precious, why are we destroying it in wars, hate, prejudices, social and economic injustices? And this beautiful planet, why are we destroying it? It was created for all humankind, no matter what race, religion, color or sex. All life in itself is God’s most precious gift to us. We are to live in harmony with all the forms of life/nature, not to control them. We are codependent.
At this time of year, I believe we should stop and think what each one of us can do to preserve life in all its forms, not only for us, but also for our descendents. It is time to forget individualism and think collectively; it is time to realize that all creation is bound together in one family.
As we worship this baby of hope, others of other religions, cultures and habits, are involved in this love God showed by coming to earth in human form to be among us.
We can look around and see the reflection of the God of love in all those who struggle for economic/social, racial and sexual justice. An example of this was the American sister Dorothy who was murdered in the north of Brazil, fighting for land justice for the poor and disenfranchised.
It has been a hard year for Gus and I also, but more difficult for the world so as the birthday of Christ approaches, I had to be honest and share our thoughts with you all, our good friends.
THE WORLD PEACE PRAYER
“Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth”
Lead us from individualism to the spirit of world community (my addition)”
“Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts, our minds, our universe”
We end with these words of Martin Luther King:
“Our lives begin to end the day we are silent about things that matter.”
Thank you for being our friends and beloved supporters. You are all vitally important to us.
Barb and Gus
Barb de Souza is a volunteer with the Institute of Religious Studies (ISER). She serves as an advisor for popular education and training in the areas of health and sexuality.