THEME:
THE BIRTH OF JESUS IS GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY AND PEACE FOR ALL PEOPLES – Lk.
2:10-11
On
this joyous and peaceful day we celebrate the birth of the Son of God and our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I address my Christmas message to you my dear
brothers and sisters in Christ, our fellow Muslim neighbors, relatives, and
friends, believers of other faiths, and all Gambians at home and abroad. First
of all, I sincerely praise and thank God for his infinite and unconditional
love for the whole human race in fulfilling his promise to save us from sin and
the forces of evil through his Son Jesus Christ. This is also another
opportunity for me to repeat and underscore my appeal for peace that I made at
the National Day of Prayer for all Gambians of all tribes, religion, political
affiliation, and status to pray, promote, and preserve peace and mutual
coexistence in our beloved country.
At
this stage of our history, experience, and resolve to establish a New Gambia
that ensures freedom, human rights, justice, trust, accountability, rule of
law, and development, we cannot afford to exploit our political, religious, and
tribal differences at the expense of our relative peace, mutual coexistence,
respect, and equality of all Gambians. If we do, we will all pay a severe price
and equally suffer the consequences. The theme of my Christmas message this
year, in light of the current situation in The Gambia is, therefore, “The Birth
of Jesus is Good News of Great Joy and Peace for all Peoples.”
This
statement represents part of the angel’s message to the shepherds who were
watching over their flock on the holy night Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem.
The angel appeared to them in Lk.2:9-13 and said, “do not be afraid for I
proclaim to you Good News of Great Joy that will be for all the peoples. For
today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ, the
Lord.” The birth of Jesus was revealed and proclaimed to the shepherds by the
angel as Good News of great joy for all peoples. They were, therefore, urged
not to be afraid of anything because his birth is a cause of joy for all
peoples and not a reason for fear, hatred, and sadness for anyone.
The
angel was simply God’s messenger he sent to the shepherds so the angel’s
message was God’s own statement about the true reason of his Son’s birth into
our world. God clearly affirmed that the birth of his Son, Jesus is nothing but
Good News of great joy for all peoples because Jesus is savior of the human
race. He redeemed us from sin and death and offered us a share in his divine
life so that we can become true sons and daughters of God by participation and
adoption. The celebration of the birth of Jesus, his life, death, resurrection,
and ascension that we Christians celebrate at Christmas, Easter, and Ascension
should always be celebrated as Good News of great joy for all peoples because
it attained for us the final victory of light over darkness, goodness over
evil, and life over death.
In
this passage, the angel fully revealed meaning of Jesus’ name, his identity and
mission. He said, “for today in the city of David, a savior has been born for
you who is Christ, the Lord.” The new born child was identified by the angel as
the savior, anointed one, and Lord so he was the one God promised to send his
chosen people through his prophets of old. The angel’s message equally assured
the shepherds that God’s promise of a savior was fulfilled at the appointed
time and he was named Jesus because “he is the one who will save God’s people
from their sins.” (Mt.1:21). The name Jesus rightly means savior so we should
proudly profess this name that represents the savior of our human race. He was
revealed to the shepherds as both savior and Lord because he is also God who is
far more superior and powerful than any other person or authority. Our Lord
Jesus will, therefore, save us from the forces of sin, evil, and corruption
that are against our efforts to serve God and bear witness to our faith and the
values of God’s word in our society and world today.
If
the birth of Jesus was not revealed to the shepherds as Good News of great joy
for all peoples, they would probably not have set out to Bethlehem to see the
child Jesus and her Mother Mary and Joseph. They would have been ignorant of
the savior’s birth and continue in their normal routine of watching their
sheep. But because they were reliably informed of what his birth and name means
for all peoples and they were disposed and interested enough in the angel’s
message, they decided, on their part, “to go to Bethlehem and see for
themselves what the Lord has made known to them.” (Lk. 2:15) This clearly
indicates that if God does not reveal and enlighten us about the identity and
mission of his Son, we cannot take the necessary steps on our own to encounter
him. No one will also know and understand that the birth of Jesus is joy and
peace for all if the message is not delivered to them as the angel presented it
to the shepherds. It means it is our duty today to enlighten others about the
positive outcome of the birth of Jesus for the human race. As believers, we
have a responsibility like the angel to help others to become interested in
encountering Jesus in their lives because Jesus was not revealed as a savior
and Lord of a particular people. He is savior and Lord of all peoples who
brings joy and peace into their lives. In this season of Christmas and
throughout the year, we must proclaim Jesus as the one who saves all peoples
from the power of darkness, fear, hatred, and death.
A
sense of disappointment and an atmosphere of unease and uncertainty about our
country’s future religious relations is increasingly expressed among Christians
and minority groups in The Gambia. This is because the new draft constitution
did not fully establish the neutrality of the state or government in matters of
religion and religious affairs. We therefore believe that our religious freedom
and right to worship as a minority and the equality of all religions is not
fully guaranteed and assured under the provisions of the new draft constitution
that introduces the laws and judicial practice of a particular religion in its
contents. Now based on the fact that a legal and legitimate constitution of any
country is duly bound to be inclusive in its representation of the concerns,
aspirations, and needs of all citizens including the minority, I fervently
appeal to the Constitutional Review Commission, the President, Judiciary, and
our National Assembly to ensure that this is the case in our new constitution
that is meant to serve our future generation. As we await the outcome of our
prayers, efforts, and divine intervention to ensure there is equality, justice,
and respect for all citizens of The Gambia, we celebrate and rejoice in God’s
love, goodness, and mercy in granting us a savior and Lord whose birth is Good
News of great joy for all peoples.
For
so many generations, we have an admirable tradition of Christians, Muslims, and
other believers in The Gambia celebrating the feast of the birth of Christ as
neighbors, relatives, and friends. We express our solidarity, mutual respect,
and unity by visiting each other’s homes and exchanging Christmas gifts, cards,
and messages. As the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Banjul and on behalf of
the Christian faithful, I express my deepest gratitude to Imam Ratib of Banjul
and the Council of Muslim Elders of Banjul for maintaining this tradition and
gesture on behalf of their Muslim brothers and sisters. We continue to thank
God for this great and noble tradition of celebrating Christmas and other
Muslim feasts as Gambians irrespective of our religious beliefs. Our common
task now at this moment of our history as a nation is to preserve this
tradition and actively promote peace, mutual co-existence, equality before the
law, and respect for our religious and cultural diversities in The Gambia. I
therefore, take this opportunity to appeal to every Gambian at home and abroad
to positively contribute towards the peace, stability, religious freedom, and
progress of The Gambia. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I wish all
Gambians a peaceful, joyful, and solemn Christmas celebration. Above all, I
pray that The Gambia, its Government, and peoples will experience the saving
power of Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace whose birth is a source of great joy
and peace for all of us.
Yours
in Christ,
+Gabriel
Mendy C.S.Sp.
Bishop
of the Diocese of Banjul,
The
Gambia.
