President wishes joy and prosperity in Christmas message

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his Christmas message said that the real meaning of Christmas is to make our lives meaningful, for which we need to fill our hearts with love and compassion while completely eliminating sinful thoughts.

Following is the full message issued by the President:

The dawn of Christmas brings immense joy to all, awakening the hearts of devotees of the noble religion of Jesus Christ, which brought the message of peace and harmony to the world. 

The real meaning of Christmas is to make our lives meaningful. For that, we need to fill our hearts with love and compassion, while completely eliminating sinful thoughts. We must uncover the path of spirituality shown by Jesus to the whole world by getting rid of all wrongdoings. Christianity interprets it as the internal life. 

The sound of hymns tells us ‘peace be upon pious individuals’. Our aspiration and commitment is to usher in a society with virtuous humans. We strongly believe that the desire and blessing of God is also for the same objective. We should take steps to prevent the re-occurrence of mournful experiences which occurred at sacred places of worship in the recent past. 

At present, there is an environment in the country where citizens can celebrate Christmas without fearful thoughts and suspicion. It is the aspiration of all kind-hearted persons which has become reality, and it will provide relief for the hearts which are deeply saddened and shaken. Let us again dedicate ourselves with determination to create a better society where all human beings will be treated equally, the way Jesus Christ taught us. 

I wish all Christians in Sri Lanka and around the world a Merry Christmas filled with joy and prosperity, where Jesus’ teachings of forgiveness, humanity and love spread across the country.