Ovi Magazine : The message by Thanos Kalamidas

Newsletter

Contact

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

BBC News : -

iBite : -

The message
by Thanos Kalamidas
2010-12-25 08:50:23

Print - Comment - Send to a Friend - More from this Author

Many times from the pages of the Ovi magazine and other magazines I write for I have mentioned that I grew up in the sixties with whatever that meant for Greece and Europe in general. I had a religious grandmother and my whole environment was if not religious at least ‘believers’. Nowadays I have a six-year old daughter who grows up in an environment mainly focused in tolerance and understanding, she goes to a school where they have explained to her what Chinese New Year is, what Ramadan, Hanukah and Losar and I’m very happy for that. I want my daughter to understand what people believe and appreciate it. I want tolerant to be part of her existence and not something that she will have to learn and I have to admit that for that reason I’m lucky for my surroundings. Apart form that and despite my upbringing I have become long time now an atheist and agnostic to many believes especially when they include superpowers that control our destinies.

Saying that now the other night while decorating the Christmas tree we started talking about Christmas. Of course Santa Claus played a very important role in our conversation and elf were everywhere around still I was impressed listening to her talking about the Christmas message. To be exact she said that baby Christ brought love and peace to the world. And that while the very same morning I was writing articles about invasions, wars, genocides, leaks and I don’t remember what else. For a bit I was startled with what she had said and then I realized that beyond religion she had understand much better than a lot religious people what Christmas is all about.

Knowing that I might upset a few religious souls, Christ didn’t born on December 25th, didn’t born on year 0 or year 1 and actually near the end of December around the same time, people for centuries used to have winter paganistic festivals and celebrations and in that ancient Greeks are included. Still and despite my atheism I like that my daughter understands and appreciates the Christmas story and the message behind it. And somehow I wish that – beyond believes and names – everybody could understand the message.

So, love and peace for everybody!

Good health and prosperity for all of you, your families and the ones you love!

Merry Christmas all!

Print - Comment - Send to a Friend - More from this Author


Comments(4)
Get it off your chest
Name:
Comment:
(comments policy)

Emanuel Paparella	2010-12-25 11:17:20
Indeed, Thanos. Merry Christmas. And here below, for the benefit of our readers, is the original message as proclaimed today and as written, by way of a prologue by John (1-19) in Greek, the language of Plato, who would have had no problem understanding Word as “logos” but that such a Word might be God and that “it became flesh and dwelt among us,” was beyond even Plato's intelligence and wildest dreams and understanding. And therefore the child, and those who become like a child (and have open hearts with reasons that reason knows not), will grasp the message while Plato would find it absurd. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.


Michalis Melidonis	2010-12-25 20:18:01
Keep the Message alive, Thanos. Hyvää Joulua and ..ovellinen! ..sorry for my bad accent :)


Μιχάλης Μελιδόνης (m.m)	2010-12-25 21:56:00
@Emanuel Paparella in vain.. You preach a god fleshified? ..to the Jews a scandal and to the Greeks a foolishness!


Jack	2010-12-26 21:47:44
Well done. To you and Ovi, the staff and writers a (belated) Merry Christmas too. Thank you for all you've done. :-)