After a Tumultuous Year, a Season of Light and Shade

The Australian
December 24, 2013

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/after-a-tumultuous-year-a-season-of-light-and-shade/story-e6frg71x-1226789132800



FROM the time its founder walked the dusty lanes of the Middle East more than 2000 years ago, Christianity has been a religion of light and darkness.

Each Christmas and at Easter, it renews its promises of love, generosity, hope and, for those who accept its teachings, redemption. Forgiveness and atonement are also an intrinsic part of the Christian message, an acknowledgment that weakness of character, sinfulness and sometimes evil are part of the human condition. This Christmas, after years of appalling publicity over their mishandling of child sexual abuse, it is the mainstream Christian churches themselves, and other institutions, that have been forced to confront their failures and seek forgiveness from the wider society.

In the midst of one of its darkest hours, however, Christianity has again shown its resilience and capacity for renewal, with the emergence of Pope Francis as a popular figure on the world stage. For some within the Catholic fold, some of his more unpredictable statements and decisions have created unease, but in reaching out to atheists, non-Christians, homosexuals, prisoners, the disabled, the disfigured and those disenfranchised from his own faith with spontaneous gestures of compassion, he has won the respect and affection of many who previously had little, if any, time for the church. Prudently, the Pope has also accepted the advice of his group of eight cardinal advisers, including Australia's George Pell, in establishing a Vatican commission to oversee and strengthen efforts to combat the sexual abuse of children by church personnel.

In Australia, the harrowing stories of many who have so far related their experiences to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse won't be forgotten. With revelations to come, it is impossible to gloss over the issue during one of the two main Christian festivals of the year. While such crimes are more prevalent among families than in any other sphere, the betrayal of trust by those in positions of spiritual leadership has left many people deeply disillusioned.

For all that, no fair-minded Australian could fail to acknowledge that, overwhelmingly, the churches are a force for good in our society, especially through their efforts in schools, healthcare and helping the disadvantaged through such organisations as the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Blue Nurses and Anglicare. In preparation for tomorrow, for example, cold rooms at Vinnies' hostels around Australia are packed with hams, turkeys and puddings to feed the homeless and destitute. The same spirit shines out of many non-religious charities that are busy distributing toys today and tomorrow to needy children and those in hospital.

For many Australians, Christmas is a secular festival, celebrated, like the Romans' winter solstice festival Saturnalia, with partying, decorations and gifts. It was Emperor Constantine in the fourth century who adapted the winter festival in Rome to mark the birth of Jesus. Since then, for many people around the world, Christmas, as Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, is a time when "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame". Either way, the spirit of Christmas has lost none of its essence to the pressures of commercialism or political correctness. And almost universally, those who have come to Australia from non-Christian societies embrace the important role Christmas plays in our culture.

Whatever our spiritual beliefs, it is the good works of volunteers, especially at this time of the year, who remind us of the importance of sharing, not only with those we love but with those who need a helping hand, or who are struggling after the loss of a loved one. Because Christmas is the biggest family event of the year, often laden with high expectations, it can feel acutely lonely and painful for those without families or enmeshed in family conflicts.

One upside of the budgetary pressures facing the nation, along with the challenges of an ageing population, is that governments and the community are increasingly looking to the not-for-profit sector, including well-established religious welfare bodies, to take on more of the practical delivery of social assistance. From assisting the disabled to helping the elderly stay in their own homes, community organisations are better equipped to deliver such services than government bureaucracies. And most do so with a year-round Christmas spirit of goodwill and caring.

After a difficult year economically, a bruising election campaign that effectively ran for three years and a challenging few months for the new Abbott government, the gift many of us need most is time -- quiet time. Time to reconnect with family and friends, and relish the joy of children. Time to write a long-overdue letter or email to someone far away. And time, with a cold beer or a good glass of wine in hand, to savour a book, the Boxing Day Test, or the crash of waves on sand. Such rituals change little from generation to generation, creating a comfortable familiarity. Most countries have their special Christmas traditions. Australia's climate and our British heritage have shaped ours, but they have been enriched by the traditions brought by successive waves of migrants. However ill-suited our climate is to a roast turkey in noonday heat, many of us prefer it. On the other hand, few other places are as well-suited to outdoor carols by candlelight, backyard cricket or Christmas holidays on the beach. The Australian wishes readers a very happy Christmas.