Archbishop holds Christmas get-together in Bangalore

Archbishop holds Christmas get-together in Bangalore

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, Dec 24, 2012: The Archdiocese of Bangalore organized a Christmas get-together with ministers, MLAs, government officials and religious leaders on  December 23, Sunday.

State Governor Hansraj Bharadwaj was the chief guest.  Prominent among the participants were  Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress opposition leader Siddaramaiah and religious heads of diverse faiths.

 

 
Archbishop Dr Bernard Moras who welcomed the guests, in his Christmas message said that Christmas is the time to reflect upon God’s everlasting love manifested to the whole human race through Christ who was born at Bethlehem.

“It is a universal festival that invites everyone to receive the everlasting gifts of God, namely his love, peace and joy. These gratuitous gifts of God are meant to be shared with all without any discrimination or preference,” the Archbishop said.“ Today, we are living in a world infested with all kinds of evils such as corruption, fundamentalism, discrimination, etc.  Consumerism and greed are so rampant in our society that an excessive desire for money and consumer goods has eclipsed values and aspirations rooted in relationships and communities," he said.

“ Against these backdrops of our society, we are called to become the agents of change and leaders with a difference, and this is possible only when we uphold and practice values in our own lives,” he added.  “Let this year’s Christmas celebration become a special time for all of us to reach out God’s gifts of peace, joy and love to others, especially to the needy and the poor in our neighborhood and city,” the Archbishop said.

Governor Hansraj Bharadwaj who spoke on the occasion said Christmas is an occasion of great joy and peace and hope. India has shown great magnanimity and resilience for a peaceful coexistence of major faiths, he said and exhorted the gathering to serve the needy, the poor and the downtrodden like the Christian missionaries and Mahatma Gandhi.