Redemptorist Church - One of the oldest and most famous beautiful churches in Hue .

But despite the rain and cold, parishes, churches, religious homes, and parishioners still happily clean together, hang lights and flowers to celebrate the birth of Christ. The laughter, voices, and bright colors of lights, nativity scenes, etc. seem to dispel the freezing cold of the end-of-year weather.

Over a cup of morning coffee, I skimmed through the newspaper. A few lines of news about the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hue City presenting 434 gifts worth a total of 217 million VND to poor and disadvantaged households who are Catholics to contribute to supporting and sharing with the people before Christmas 2024, my cup of coffee felt warm and fragrant...

Society is developing day by day, the lives of all people, both religious and non-religious, have been constantly improving, changing positively every day. However, whether Vietnamese or Western, everywhere there are a group of people who are less fortunate, or have special circumstances (disabled, old, lonely...) that no matter how many conditions are created, they find it difficult to overcome their circumstances. Therefore, the sharing and support of the community, especially during holidays and Tet like this, is not only meaningful in terms of material things, but more than that, that sharing is also encouragement, making people feel warm and understand that they are never alone...

Not only Hue, many other localities both inside and outside the province, from commune, ward to district, town level, sectors, mass organizations... have been and are doing similar things.

Suddenly I remembered the dear face of a classmate whom I had the opportunity to introduce in the newspaper. For many years, in the cold and rainy weather just before Christmas, he often rode his motorbike alone to remote, isolated places, to the “deep mountains and valleys”, bringing gifts from benefactors to the less fortunate, regardless of whether they were laymen or teachers. After finishing his work, if he had a little time, he would ask me for a cup of coffee, talk about everything under the sun, or talk about the places he had just been to, the emotion and joy of those who had just received gifts… He smiled contentedly, because for him, only by finishing such tasks could he feel at ease to celebrate Christmas.

Looking at his smile, listening to the stories he tells, suddenly my heart feels light and filled with a strangely lovely and peaceful appreciation. The actions like his, the sharing of the organizations and individuals mentioned above are love, that is perhaps the most meaningful "celebration" that God will surely be pleased to receive every time he celebrates his Christmas.

Huy Khanh