Africa-Press – Uganda. Christians all over the world use Christmas Day to commemorate Jesus Christ’s birth. The day is a symbol of forgiveness, peace and love. The day is marked with joy and happiness. But as we strive to live the Christmas spirit, it’s important that we pray for those caught in violence and conflicts.
There are also millions of Ugandans particularly Bibanja owners in Buganda, who live in fear of illegal evictions, abductions and unexplained murders. Some landlords have continued to terrorise villages, in connivance with well-connected dealers. We also pray for those trapped in poverty, unemployment and corruption fuelled by greed and imperfections of our physical beings. The government must deal with all the major problems fuelling conflicts in the country.
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain killed his brother because he was jealous of the favour Abel gained from God. The two brothers were the first sons of Adam and Eve. This biblical story of the first murder signifies a natural tendency for human beings to hate each other because of greed and evil tendencies.
In the daily struggle for goodness, it’s important that we learn to forgive and co-exist as one peaceful community, our eternal differences notwithstanding. Let’s not forget the evil influences of Satan. To eliminate evil ways from our lives, let’s love our neighbours as we love ourselves. Let’s be the agents of peace, cleanse our hands and our hearts.
Our view is that a true neighbour has nothing to do with closeness. A neighbour is anyone who crosses your path in life, a fellow human being. He or she must be treated with respect. Let’s learn to live together in harmony. Let’s move from a position of being afraid of differences to tolerating differences and appreciating the benefits of differences. Co-existence is an essential part of human life and national development.
In the sacred writings of Christianity (Matthew 5:9), we are told “blessed are the peacemakers”. We also know from Scripture that “God is a peacemaker (2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:20) and that the heaven is a world of peace (Luke 19:38).
And in the HolyKoran Allah calls HIS way “… The ways of peace …” (Quran: 5:16). It describes reconciliation as the best policy (4:128), and states that God detests any disturbance of peace (2:205). The first verse of the Holy Koran breathes the spirit of peace, it reads: “In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.”
So peacemaking requires taking the initiative to get involved in conflicts with the intention of building bridges between the parties at odds. Our view is that the leaders at all levels, must learn to co-exist and accept to cultivate a new path.
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