We celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ at Christmas. As we all know, Jesus was born and raised in a family and so Christmas clearly is of great importance to family life. I think intimate family relationships can strengthen our self-confidence and help us cherish our hope in life. The family really is the cradle of life and love. It is where we are born and grow up. In the family we learn concern for others—how to love and build relationships with people. Even though life has its ups and downs, a close-knit family can be like a harbour in a storm, while at the same time being a place where we develop our moral values, as well as social, spiritual and cultural traditions. Unfortunately, the generation of families in today's world is under a lot of pressure—divorce splits families, single parent families struggle and domestic violence has sky-rocketed. Problems within families and all kinds of changes in the social environment have robbed the young, from childhood onwards, of the chance to form healthy, life-giving relationships. They are also starving them of parental love. These have far-reaching consequences, often leading to drug abuse, undisciplined behaviour and loss of a sense of self-worth, especially if they get into bad company. To address this series of questions effectively as a society, each one of us needs to commit ourselves to reinforcing family values, and strengthen what binds us into a family. As followers of Christ, we definitely have that responsibility and, certainly have the power to create a better climate for the next generation. Our hope is that celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ will help us work together in building happy families and a free, democratic society. May this Christmas Season bring warmth, new life and joy to your families, and may God bestow His peace upon all of you!

• published: 20 Dec 2013
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