Poor stressed at Christmas, says Conry

Christmas can be a frightening time for people who worry they don’t have the money to spend on food and gifts that they and others expect, Bishop Kieran Conry said this week in a statement to mark Bible Sunday which falls tomorrow.

Bishop Conry, who chairs the Bishops’ Conference’s Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, advocates reading the Bible to address the high levels of stress and anxiety some feel in the weeks leading up to Christmas. He singled out people on low incomes and with difficult personal relationships as some of the worst affected and said that the words of peace and hope in the Bible were life-changing.

“Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of all that is good, but for many it is actually frightening, if they don’t have the financial resources to meet other people’s and their own expectations. Many passages in the Bible, especially familiar passages like the beginning of chapter 5 in Matthew’s gospel, suggest a simpler way of living,” said Bishop Conry.

The passage the bishop alludes to is the Beatitudes where Jesus blesses – among others - the poor in spirit, the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

He added: “Christmas really should be about less, not more - more love, yes, but not more food and not more expense. It’s a time for many people to mend relationships, and one of those can be our relationship with God. As your circumstances allow, please do also consider how you might be able to help those in need in your local community.”

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, wrote in a pastoral letter last weekend that we meet Christ in the “weak, the poor and the suffering” and quoted Pope Francis’ call for “a poor Church for the poor”. He added: “We need eyes to see the needy and suffering Christ in those around us.”