IT HAS been “a difficult year for very many”, the Church of Ireland primate Archbishop Alan Harper has said in his Christmas message, with banks, “in some instances cruelly, penalising the businesses of reliable clients” and the “tragic stories of people flooded out of their homes or driven from farms and businesses by rising flood waters”.In “such circumstances, some declare that a greeting of ‘Happy Christmas’ is unfeeling or inappropriate”, but “we need to hear the salutation and with it, see evidence that those who say it mean it”.
In wishing people a Happy Christmas, Dr Harper added: “Let all of us also offer practical and moral support, human solidarity, compassion and empathy.”
Presbyterian moderator Dr Stafford Carson said he was reminded that 
Jesus was “born into a world that was very similar to the one in which we live today. It was full of violence, poverty and religion.
“Children were killed, people were forced to flee their homeland, countries were occupied by foreign armies. Our daily news bulletins never fail to report the extent of sin and suffering in our contemporary world.”
He added: “Yet we are not without hope. The mission and message of Christ remain unchanged. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed.”
Methodist president the Rev Donald Ker said that at times this year, “it has seemed that we in Ireland have lost our way”.
“Foundations have been shaken in church and State. There are still forces and tensions in our society which could drive us apart if we, through design or negligence, allow them.
“How shall we use this crisis? Where our struggles have forced us to take an honest look at our lives, values and culture and to ask for a fresh sense of God’s direction for us, the crisis will not have been wasted. The good news of Christmas is that God has not abandoned us to our confusion and shame.”
The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin the Most Rev John Neill said pain and suffering “is part of Christmas 2009 for many in Ireland”.
It was “even worse for those children dying of starvation in the poorest parts of the global south.”
Christmas conjured “pictures of festivity, of fun, of lavish spending and expensive gifts . . . such things seem far removed from those without work, those whose homes have been destroyed in floods and those sick with swine flu”.
In a joint Christmas message, the Catholic Bishop of Cork, Dr John Buckley, and the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton, say it is “understandable that many are not looking forward to Christmas this year”.
They speak of “a shocking increase in a sense of helplessness and fear of the future” and refer to “the recent floods that caused havoc in Cork city and in other parts of Cork county as well as other parts of Ireland”.
“As we honour the birth of one child, we are all painfully aware that as church and society, we did not always honour or protect our children. We pray for healing and comfort for all victims of abuse.”
That was “but half the picture”, they said, for example, how the recent floods provided an opportunity for the spirit of generosity to shine through.
“One caller to a radio station said it restored her faith in human nature . . . many people are working tirelessly to alleviate suffering and bring cheer. That is the meaning of Christmas.”
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