By Father Peter Choy Wai-man
Hong Kong continues to mourn the tragic fire at the Wang Fuk Court. Countless families who have lost loved ones or homes remain in deep sorrow and the entire city carries a heavy burden of grief. At such a moment, some may wonder: is it appropriate to celebrate Christmas? However, Advent reveals an important truth: God’s light often shines brightest in the deepest darkness.
Christmas is not a way to escape pain. Rather, it is God’s response to suffering. The message of Christmas brings peace, joy, and “Emmanuel”—God with us. This is not a distant God who waits for the world to be perfect before coming near, but a God who walks alongside our sorrow, confusion, and disappointment. Celebrating Christmas now does not ignore the victims; instead, it acknowledges that their suffering is seen and their lives are remembered. We accompany the suffering with warmth, community strength, and hopeful prayers.
In the gospel reading from the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist calls on people to “prepare the way of the Lord.” This is not a demand to suppress emotions, but a call for us to make room in our hearts for God’s healing and peace. In times of mourning, preparation means:
• Moving away from indifference and choosing empathy and care.
• Not allowing grief to extinguish hope, but instead longing for the light even more deeply.
• Letting sorrow remind us of our responsibility to care for one another.
• Turning away from cynicism or negativity towards a God who draws near to broken hearts.
John warns against allowing faith to become mere formality, saying: “Do not think to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’” At this moment, his words remind us that celebrating Christmas cannot be reduced to external decorations and festivities; we must prepare our hearts— with compassion, unity, and sincerity— to receive God.
His imagery of “the winnowing fork is in his hand” and “cleansing his threshing floor” may seem harsh, but amidst tragedy, we can see a deeper meaning: God desires to remove from our lives those parts that bear no fruit—indifference, self-closure, fear—allowing true goodness, kindness, and life-giving beauty to remain. This cleansing helps us welcome a more profound Christmas, enabling us to reflect the depth of love present at Christ’s birth.
Therefore, celebrating Christmas is not a denial of the city’s grief. Rather, it is a true response to John’s call for preparation. This is a choice: to choose light and not bow to darkness; to allow Christ’s peace to take root in our hearts, enabling us to carry that peace to those who suffer.
This Christmas, John invites us to celebrate more meaningfully by: bringing comfort where there is pain; offering companionship where there is solitude; providing hope where there is fear; taking action to bear fruits worthy of repentance—kindness, justice, and love.
John’s call in the wilderness is not a threat but an invitation. Prepare your hearts, for God is drawing near. This wounded, grieving city is precisely where God longs to be born again, bringing hope.
