21/12/1975 Over-enthusiastic Celebration of Christmas
On the fourth evening of our Christmas pilgrimage Sog Lingam and I arrived at Wainikoro settlement where we met Ram Samuj in front of the store beside the road. He greeted us enthusiastically and invited us to sit in a shady spot on the grass.
Together we drew the contrasts between the secular and religious celebration of Christmas. His response was both unexpected and extravagant. He cried out that we were angels who had come with this good news about Christmas. I emphasized our shared need of salvation. We parted having agreed on the importance of a more spiritual celebration of Christmas.
At the end of that week I returned to Naleba to prepare to celebrate Christmas with the Catholic community, happy to have shared the meaning of Christmas with so many non-Christians.
A few weeks after Christmas I attended a funeral in Wainikoro. Afterwards I asked a local villager how my friend Ram Samuj was. “Oh that is very sad”, he answered. “He was drinking alcohol on Christmas Day until he got drunk. Then he went outside and began to curse and swear at a neighbor with whom he had a grievance. He got into a fight. The police were called and now he is in jail.”
by Fr Frank Hoare
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