Erfurt (dpa/th) – According to Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr of Erfurt, Christmas is not an escape into a supposedly ideal world, despite serious crises. “We have to ask ourselves whether we can celebrate Christmas at all at this time, whether we are not fleeing into a fictitious ideal world,” said the Catholic bishop in Erfurt on Wednesday in his Christmas message. Despite all the criticism of Christmas customs and Christmas kitsch, it should not be overlooked that Advent and Christmas are usually celebrated in the community with other people. “Christmas is also a family celebration.”
Family is very important for many people, “if not the most important thing in their lives”. That became clear at the two Christmas celebrations during the corona pandemic. Neymeyr: “The beautiful traditions that characterize Advent and Christmas do not create a fictitious idyll, but celebrate the good, supporting human relationships in an unusual way.”
For Christians, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, “whom we believe came from the world of God into our human world.” That was not the start of a perfect world. The wooden crib in which Jesus lay in the stable was understood early on as a reference to the wood of the cross.
