15/1/1977,
Sog Lingam and I arrived at Wainikoro settlement on the fourth day of walking house to house explaining the meaning of Christmas. Ram Samuj was sitting in front of the shop. He greeted us curiously and invited us to a shady spot on the grass. He asked where we were going. I shared the real meaning of Christmas with him. We spoke about the drunkenness and fights that unfortunately gave the feast a bad name.
“You have walked all this way to tell us the real meaning of Christmas. You are a holy man; you are a saint; you are an incarnation of God!” Ram Samuj enthused. I protested that I was merely human. But we agreed on the importance of a more spiritual celebration of Christmas.
Christmas came and went.
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 was very sad,” he answered.
“What, has he died or is he seriously sick?” I asked.
“No! He drank alcohol on Christmas Day until he got drunk. Then he went outside and began to curse and swear at a neighbour with whom he had a grievance. He threw stones at his house. The police were called and now he is in jail in Labasa!”
by Fr. Frank Hoare
