Religion Reflection

“Lending a hand becomes a Christmas tradition” is an article written by Evan Boudreau. It talks about the undertakings of compassionate members of the society who cherish the art of sharing with the less fortunate ones. People, mentioned in the article, forgo their own personal comfort and luxury at their homes and undertake to sharing with and providing for the needy in the community. The article singles out one particular character, Zenzie Rees, who took to the idea because of an incessant and urgent need to make a difference in the society. Instead of staying at home and preparing a meal for herself and her family, she decided to make a big step and instead volunteer to cook for a multitude of people, some of whom were complete strangers to her. Since then, she has been volunteering year in year out, and so far has managed to incorporate her son Nathaniel and her mother in the activity. Nathaniel, though young, feels adequate despite missing the opportunity to hang out with his friends and peers.

The organization of the event has been key to its success. The Good Shepherd, an organization aimed at providing such interaction opportunities with the needy, particularly set the date for the event on Boxing Day, right after Christmas day. In that way, attendance would be high since most other organizations arrange the same event on Christmas Day. Every year, the event sees off the attendance of close to one thousand five hundred people. Every Boxing Day, Rees together with about eighty other volunteers come together to prepare a meal for the “extended family”. Even though the process is more demanding and tiresome compared to preparing meals for her small family, Rees relishes the experience and the interaction with the less fortunate. Nathaniel, her son is also in for the idea and sees many good in sharing with the less fortunate members of the community.

The event has been crucial in the improvement of the relations between the rich and the poor, the financially stable and the less fortunate. Rees, who is particularly mentioned in the article, shows the true meaning of being humble and down-to-earth by departing from the comfort and security of her home to venture in the murky and risky world of dealing with such a big number of people. She demonstrates some of the Commandments of the Bible through her work and encouraging example. One particular Commandment that comes to mind is the fourth Commandment, which asks the Christian faithful to remember and uphold the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Honoring the spirit of Christmas, that of giving and sharing, is highlighted through the activities of the organization. Rees together with the other volunteers and organizers of the event exhibit their respect and appreciation of the death of Christ for their own salvation. According to the Bible, there exist many ways of worshipping God, one of them is doing good to others.

The undertakings of the organization are an indication of expression of love to the less fortunate members of the community. The volunteers put aside their personal demands and devote themselves to the noble work of preparing a meal to those who cannot afford it. Not only do they prepare the meal, but they also humble themselves, sit, and share the meal with the rest at the same table. This is not because they lack food or they lack other meaningful activities to engage in during this period, but because they see the need of sharing the joy and pain of others. The act of the Good Shepherd Organization of arranging the event and making it a success points to the selfless nature of the people involved.

The Bible highlights the fact that you should love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Such simple yet massively important ways of making a statement go a long way in making the world a better place. At the end of the day, the most important and overbearing factor is what difference you have made in the life of other people.

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