Have we lost the message of Christmas?

The annual global celebration of the birthday anniversary of Jesus, the Christ, the acclaimed “only begotten son of God’ and “saviour of mankind” on December 25 by Christians should remind us all of the timeless message of Love. But what is it all about? In its distilled essence, it means ‘sacrifice’- for one to give out his treasures, pleasure, energy, and precious time and talents to satisfy the needs of others without expecting anything in return. It is indeed a rare attribute which has distinguished a few humanist icons from the rest of us.

For instance, for Jesus Christ to have taken on the human body, live amongst us, go through our pains, preach the gospel of salvation and finally sacrifice his precious, priceless, powerful, pure, perfect, protective and blameless blood on the Cross of Calvary; to cleanse us of our sundry sins is Love amply exhibited. And interestingly, the greatest of Homo sapiens, whom millions want to identify with and on the good side of History, are those who personified Love.

Name them, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin King Jnr, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson ( all of blessed memory), as well as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mark Zuckerberg, are still highly cherished to this day simply because they lived or are still living in the service of the masses.

For instance, one of Mother Teresa’s most famous acts was her care for the Dying in Kolkata, India. She established the Missionaries of Charity Home for the Dying, providing a clean, loving environment for the terminally ill to spend their final days. On his part, Martin Luther King Jnr, the world-renowned human rights activist, emphasised the importance of serving others as a pathway to personal fulfilment and societal improvement. His call to action, “What are you doing for others?” challenges us to engage in acts of kindness that uplift those around us, reinforcing the notion that service is integral to community well-being.

In a similar vein, Mahatma Gandhi, throughout his illustrious life was a humble servant of India and humanity at large. Said he: “I believe in absolute oneness of God and, therefore, also of humanity.’ How apt! Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious tolerance all in the service Humanity.

Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian lawyer turned social activist who championed the cause of liberty and freedom through the means of non-violence.

One of the greatest humanists in human history is none other than Nelson Mandela, the South African
human rights lawyer who devoted his life to the service of humanity.

He was a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

Nelson Mandela embodied the highest values of the United Nations. To honour his legacy on the promotion of social justice, the fight against poverty, and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world, the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 proclaimed Nelson Mandela’s birthday, 18 July, as “Nelson Mandela International Day,” devoting the day to public service. Through it Individuals around the world are asked to mark Nelson Mandela International Day by making a difference in their communities.

This story will not be complete without the mention of the greatest pop superstar of all time, Michael Joseph Jackson, MJJ of blessed memory. According to Facebook, throughout his life, Michael Jackson gave the world his heart — through his music, his compassion, and his love for children and humanity.

Michael also often visited childrens hospitals, granting some children their wishes and on occasion brought gifts for all the children. December 13,1984-MJ donates $1.5 million to the Brotman Medical Centre, which renames its burn ward in his honor, Michael Jackson. He visited the unit where he was admitted after his accident for the Pepsi commercial.17 Dis 2025. By some estimates, he donated over $500 million to charity over the course of his life, at one time being recognized in Guinness World Records for the breadth of his philanthropy. Through the ‘Heal The World Foundation’ he founded in 1992, he has donated to several hospitals, orphanages, and burn units in nearly every city he toured – personally delivering toys and making donations, often staying for hours.

In the bold and brilliant light of open display of compassion, some of Cristiano Ronaldo’s most notable charitable actions include: Donating over $1 million to hospitals in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Auctioning his 2013 Ballon d’Or replica for €600,000, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Among his first donations was that done to help the cancer centre in the sum of about $130,000. This act hits home for Ronaldo since his mother survived breast cancer in 2007, and he was very thankful for it. His act of charity has since gone global, including hospitals, school children and individuals suffering from one debilitating disease or another.

Still on the charitable causes, so far, Mark Zuckerberg has donated $45 billion to charitable purposes. He and his wife first pledged to give donations to charity by writing an open letter to their daughter, who was born in late 2015.18 March 2019

Here in Nigeria, there are several foundations and organizations giving to the needy. An outstanding instance is that under the passionate, pragmatic and patriotic leadership of an iconic caregiver, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, the Edo IDP camp, once known as the Crisis and the Response NGO ,founded back in 1992, has transformed beyond caring for orphans and vulnerable children, to adding immense value to the internally displaced citizens. All these and more are not only highly commendable but also most inspiring.

Over the centuries, these rare gems as caregivers have exhibited the tenets of what Jesus Christ came to preach to us all. If only our crop of conscienceless political predators and unrelenting oppressors would learn from these heroes, we would not find ourselves in this pitiable pit of pervasive poverty. But unfortunately, they are driven more by the demons of gross deceit, propelled by the penchance for seeking and hanging unto it more by crook than by hook than seeking for true,servant-leadrtship cataluzed by Love ss Jesus Christ exemplified.

Now is therefore the best time for them to say “no” to Mammon, the god of mindless money and overt lust for materialism. The god that justifies anti-people policies that pauperise the populace. Instead, they should climb down from the high horses of greed and learn from the hands of Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela and ask themselves what they would be remembered for and questioned on, on the Judgment Day, like it or not.