Joe Biden on Christmas Eve wished the American people love, faith, and hope
Joe Biden on Christmas Eve wished the American people love, faith, and hope
Joe Biden recalled the miracle of Christmas, when “the child whom Christians believe to be the son of God miraculously” appears among people, “bringing hope, love, peace and joy to the world.”
“Even after 2,000 years, Christmas still has the power to lift our spirits, to unite us, to change lives, to change the world,” the U.S. president said, adding that even though “the Christmas story is at the core of the Christian faith,” the message of “hope, love, peace and joy is universal. It applies to everyone: Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, members of every other faith and nonbelievers.”
“The message of Christmas is especially important in difficult times like those we have experienced over the past few years,” Joe Biden noted.
“The pandemic has taken so much from us … We have lost so many people we loved. More than a million people have died in America alone,” the American president recalled of the terrible epidemic.
The president drew attention to significant changes for the better.
“COVID no longer controls our lives. Our children are back in school. People are back to work. In fact, more people are working now than ever before,” he revealed.
Joe Biden recalled the division in politics.
“We see each other as enemies, not neighbors. We are too divided,” he stressed, “Let’s look at each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, not as members of the Red Team or the Blue Team, but as who we really are: fellow Americans. People worthy of treating each other with respect.”
A small good deed can make a big difference
“This week marks 50 years since I lost my first wife and young daughter in a car accident and my two sons were severely injured when they went shopping for a Christmas tree. I know how hard this time of year can be. No one can ever know what another person is going through, what’s really going on in their life, what they’re struggling with, what they’re trying to overcome,” the president admitted.
“Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can mean a lot. A simple smile. A hug. An unexpected phone call. An ordinary cup of coffee. Simple acts of kindness that can lift spirits, provide comfort and perhaps even save lives,” Joe Biden added.
Traditionally, the U.S. president asked Americans to pray for the “brave women and men in uniform who protect and defend the American people.”
Christmas is a time of hope
Speaking of Christmas hope, Joe Biden recalled some pages of American history.
He spoke of the Christmas week of 1862, when U.S. President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation, which he released on New Year’s Day.
Joe Biden recalled Christmas 1941, which was a few weeks after the terrible events at Pearl Harbor. At the time, the U.S. president – Franklin Delano Roosevelt – was hosting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the White House. Together they “planned an Allied strategy to defeat fascism and tyranny.”
The Light of Christmas
Biden also mentioned Christmas 1968, “a year of murder and rebellion, war and chaos.
That Christmas, the Apollo 8 astronauts circled the moon.
“From the silence of space, on a silent night on Christmas Eve, the astronauts read to us on Earth the story of Christmas from the Bible: ‘In the beginning God created Heaven and Earth. And God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light. – Joe Biden said.
“That light is still with us. It lights the way forward for us. To all: Americans and citizens of other countries alike. The light that burned first in Bethlehem. The light that still shines in our time, in our lives,” he declared.
“I wish for our nation, now and always, that we live in the light of freedom and hope, love and generosity, kindness and compassion, dignity and decency. The Biden family wishes you and your family peace, joy, health and happiness. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And all the best for the New Year. May God bless you all!” concluded U.S. President Joe Biden.