CFM Christmas Hi-Tea speech by Archbishop Julian Leow

Jan 03, 2020

A very good afternoon and salam sejahtera to everyone. It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Christian Federation of Malaysia’s (CFM) Christmas Hi-Tea, which this year is hosted by the Catholic Church.

We thank you for graciously accepting our invitation. The presence of our guests from the different religious groups signifies our commitment in promoting peace through mutual understanding, respect and appreciation of one another’s religious beliefs.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, to Christians, the Saviour of the world. Jesus is the son of Mary and Joseph. However Mary was with child before they lived together. We heard the reading from Luke’s Gospel just now.

Christmas is a source of happiness and celebration for Christians, but its message of peace, hope and good news is for all people. Indeed, it is a reflection of the innermost desire within each one of us, regardless of whatever faith we profess. Working for Peace is a daily endeavour.

We need to be courageous and make the effort to work for Harmony, to promote experiences of sharing, to serve the weakest and the marginalised, for the betterment of society.

For Christians and all humanity, the peacemaker is guided and moved by love in all that they do. Love thy neighbour is the centrality of Christian teaching, taking the form of service to the poor, marginalised and the less fortunate among us. Peace is not only the absence of conflict or war.

Peace for Christianity is a gift which comes from Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Prince of Peace. We look to Christ as our guiding light and way of life. Jesus says ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.’ (Jn 14:27). Jesus also says, ‘Blessed are the peace  makers for they shall be called the children of God.’ So, it is more than a concept. A peacemaker is one who takes steps to build peace in our society and community.

My dear friends, Meekness is a virtue that Christians are commanded to put on and aim for, and we are repeatedly exhorted to be meek and gentle just like Jesus. Perhaps the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas best describes it when he said that meekness is a gentleness that restrains us from anger or from expressing our anger easily. Religious harmony is the cornerstone of a prosperous Malaysia.

This harmony must be preserved and defended by Malaysians of all various racial and religious backgrounds.

We must never allow race and religion to separate and create fear among us. It is important for every Malaysian to celebrate our unity in diversity to develop and bring our country to greater heights.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia has always endeavoured to work closely with all parties to bring about a true sense of unity among Malaysians. As Christians, our faith is not confined to just praying and doing good deeds. We are called to build bridges,  not walls. Whether in politics, race relations, economic crises or disputes among families or local communities, we are challenged to be peacemakers, to find common ground and to engage in respectful dialogue.

So we hope that through this Christmas celebration, we will be inspired to be peacemakers. It is not enough to speak about peace, we must put it into action. In the spirit of celebrating Christmas, I urge all of us to act now by deepening friendship among peoples of all faiths.

The Federal Territories Mufti Dato Sri Dr Zulkifli couldn’t be here but has prepared a message entitled Peaceful Co-Existence the Right Way.

Peaceful co-existence implies the ability of mankind to live in harmony.  As human beings, we need to have a solid understanding that diversity and plurality of cultures, ethnicities and religions are part of Allah’s creation of the universe and of mankind.

Existing peacefully with non-Islamic beliefs is an essential Islamic principle that is clearly stated in many Quránic verses, and that has been practiced by Muslims throughout their history.  There is no contradiction between Islam and devotion to civil society,  social culture, and co-existence with others. Principle of equality of all mankind (Quran 49:13)

Principle of Admiration and respect of others (Quran 6:108)

Madinah Treaty

This is what makes Malaysia unique in the world, our Unity in Diversity. We who are from diverse religions, races, ethnicity, cultures, have been and are living together in relative harmony and prosperity. Our differences in food, festivals, worship, idiosyncrasies is what makes us Malaysians. We are sum of all these factors that make us MALAYSIAN. Let us never forget who we are. Hence our celebrations of Open House during Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Gawai, Keaamatan, Ponggal and many others help us to appreciate who we are as Malaysians. We have been wishing each other and visiting each others’ homes during our respective religious and cultural celebrations. If we add Federal and State holidays, Malaysia has about 18 holidays a year, making us the top five in the world! Cambodia has 28 days.

It will indeed be a sad day in the history of Malaysia, when we cannot even wish Merry Christmas to Christians or Selamat Hari Deepavali to Hindus or Wesak to Buddhists. We pray that common sense will prevail amongst religious leaders to promote more ways of strengthening the bonds of friendship among Malaysians and not drive us further apart.

Can we extend a sign of Peace to each other around our respective tables? Thank you. Archbishop Julian Leow President Christian Federation of Malaysia