Zurich Citizens News, 1980-12-24, Page 4Page 4 Citizens News December 24, 1980
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M1aneous
Rumblings
By
TdM CREECH
You are
not- alone
Be not afraid to pray; to pray. is right.
Pray, if thou can'st, with hope; but ever pray,
Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay.
Pray in the darkness if there be no' light.
'Hartley Coleridge
In his addresses to the inaugural sessions of Hay
and Zurich councils Pastor Jack Dressler noted that in
the Church's mind the. Christmas season was a time of
hope -for all mankind.
In that one statement Pastor Jack captured the es-
sence of what this season is all about.
It is a time for sharing not sq much in the material
sense but from the standpoint Of making a greater ef-
fort to understand both your self and the people who
you associate with.
Only through self examination and the paying of
close scrutiny to our fellow human beings can any real
progress be made.
The festive season serves as a focusing point for
this examination and should act as an example of how
to act in the upcoming year.
While Christmas is obviously the focal point for
many of the world's religions, what takes place at this
time of year (or what should take place) transcends
the word "religion" and is in (act a reflection of the in-
nate good will which this writer believes all mankind
possesses.
Why is it that at Christmas and Easter warring
factions can put their weapons and enjoy a brief
respite from the inhumanity which results from the
battling of different groups?
As has been expressed on many an occasion,
Christmas is time for rejoicing for the majority of the
populous but is also a time of sorrow for many people.
Choirboys and David Thiel at Zurich Public School
Unfortunately, irregardless of the season,
religious or otherwise, time marches on and as such,
the unpleasant events which occur on a day-to-day
basis take on a new meaning at this time of year.
The sudden loss of a loved one, the destruction of a
home or theunforeseenlayoff by an employer seems to
hit hardest when the rest of the world is going about
their business of enjoying Christmas.
In the long term, this greater appreciation of the
human tragedy serves mankind well as it allows for a
greater appreciation of the aspects of life which we
consider "normal".
Christmas should also be a humbling experience
as it makes us reflect on our nettle and concentrates
attention on those less fortunate members of society,
not to pity but to aid in a spiritual sense. In other
words, a donation to a social self-help group would be
of more use than a neck tie to Uncle Harry and would
give you a boost in self-esteem.
By itself the viewing of the festive season as a
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No words needed
At this time of year a tragedy of any sort takes
on a special meaning but the actions of the com-
munity in and around Varna will restore most of the
lustre for one Varna family to this festive season.
There are no words which can truly express the
concern of the Varna residents forthe Coultis family
who lost everything in a Saturday fire.
Quickly friends and neighbours jumped into ac-
tion and in the period less than two days had found
another home for the family and had replaced many
of their belongings.
The strength of a community lies with its
residents and the actions by this hamlet have
demonstrated to the world that they are without
compare.
As one person associated with the relief com-
mittee stater( "This community sticks together."
Shouldn't we all'!
Canadian
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Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Member:
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News Editor - Tom Creech
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organizations who operate phone-in services for the
lonely and depressed experience their highest number
of calls from individuals who find the focussing feature
of Christmas difficult to take.
In an interview with CFPL TV anchorman Jack
Burghart, Bishop John Sherlock of the Huron diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church said it was during these
times of personal crisis where the turning to God can
result in the rescuing of the human soul.
It seems rather ironic that a wider acceptance of
Christmas as a time for spiritual interchange rather
than as a'time devoted only to the exchange of gifts is
resulting from the tougher economic times which we
ail are feeling.
From the staff of the Citizens' News which in-
cludes our correspondents, agent, composition people
and this writer, please react in a positive fashion to
this time of humanity.
Cherish those who are with you in either body or
spirit and remember that you are not alone.
*
Recall these immortal words: "Twas the night
before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, - not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with
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