ROSE MARY

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…Luke 2:11

The sun is slowly setting on 2020, a year that began with anticipation and euphoria, until stories of a deadly pestilence in China slowly crept into the media. They seemed very far away at first, but it was only a matter of a few weeks before Kerala, along with the entire world was caught up in the worst bio-battle ever witnessed in the history of mankind.
The year has seen mass migration of people at all social levels. We read about the miserable plight of the migrants from the north who were forced to trudge back to their distant villages thousands of miles away. What was not so publicized was the movement of educated professionals who had lost their jobs and were forced to move out from their apartments to their hometowns. Lifestyles that once revolved around weekend parties and regular holiday trips to luxurious resorts have all but melted down to basic essentials and bare existence.
While the more resilient have been able to weather this ongoing storm, many have fallen by the wayside. Devoid of the luxuries that were part and parcel of regular life, there are a large number of people, young and old, who are facing insurmountable mental and psychological problems. One may assume that this is more prevalent among those who have been laid off from regular jobs. The travel industry, the textile industry, the hotel industry – these are some of the sectors that have terminated the services of tens and thousands of employees who are now unable to support their families. Unfortunately, even many of those who were lucky enough to hold on to their jobs are sinking into uncontrollable depressions. A senior manager from an IT multinational was discussing the peculiar situation in his workplace. In the past three months, three employees had asked to be relieved from service. He tried to counsel them, asking them what the problem was, and warning them of the hiring freeze in most companies, but it was to no avail. Admittedly the work was heavy, but that’s how it had always been. What was affecting them was their inability to enjoy their weekends as they did before, the restrictions on social get-togethers, their regular visits to the pubs—in short, all the entertainment that suddenly vanished from their lives. Having receded into a lifestyle that centered around self-indulgence and gratification, their mental equilibrium was shattered when these props were no longer available. When the conversation with these youngsters reached a point of no return, the manager slowly brought in prayer and meditation as possible solutions. As he expected, the reaction was curt and final. One of them said he was an atheist while the others did not want to discuss that further.
For professionals, as well as for all of us to greater and lesser extents, the picture is on the wall. Many of us have lost our resilience and grit to fight real-time challenges of life. In our total pre-occupation with ourselves, our fitness, our well-being, our pleasure, and egged on by the cacophony of advertisements that encourage us to do precisely that, our mental faculties are gradually wasting away, and we are becoming psychologically and spiritually challenged, as Prophet Isaiah prophesied long ago-‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’ (Matthew 13:14).
In the midst of this pandemic, what we are not seeing and hearing clearly is the voice of those who have been rendered lonely and homeless and penniless. For all the misfortunes that have accompanied this ill-fated year, 2020 has offered us one great opportunity. It has brought us back to basics. We have stopped looking forward to spending our weekends at shopping malls and cinema theatres, and, as a result we have plenty of time on our hands. We can either allow ourselves to sink into the quicksand of our own small deprived world, or we can turn our attention outwards, to those around us with whatever resources we have – to the old lady next door who needs someone to get her monthly provisions, to the young student who finds online classes difficult, to anyone who needs a helping hand.
Christmas is round the corner, and for most of us it will be very different from what we have been used to. The glitter of Christmas decorations, the joy of family gatherings and the general mood of celebration will definitely be muted, but this time we are perhaps closest to the actual circumstances of the birth of our Saviour. Shorn of all external frills and extravagances, we live our lives in uncertainty, unsure of what the future holds for us. In a conversation with Nicodemus Jesus said, ‘…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ This is our opportunity to be born again, this time in the manger with Jesus, in an environment of shepherds and angels and gentle animals. There are no assurances of wealth and status here. Instead, we have the assurance of the presence of our Saviour and His example of living for those around us.