“Hatred Will Vanish”: Embracing the True Message of Christmas

Growing up in Ramallah, Palestine, as a third-generation refugee, I would wait with anticipation each year during the Christmas Eve mass for the singing of the Arabic hymn, Layalat Al-Milad (“On Christmas Night”). The hymn promises that on Christmas Eve, “Hatred will vanish, the earth will bloom, war will be buried, and love will be born.” The hymn further details how we, as Christians, must embrace the true message of Christmas by offering a glass of water to those who are thirsty, clothing a naked person with a gown of love, wiping tears from weeping eyes, and filling the hearts of all with hope. Finally, it speaks of our personal responsibility in this, by refraining from hypocrisy, ridding ourselves of the spirit of revenge, and softening our hearts as our souls melt into God.  

This hymn is deeply personal to me. Singing it made me feel seen and heard as a Palestinian, by acknowledging the decades-long suffering and injustices we have endured. It directly attacks the very notion of war and points to acts of love and compassion as the only path in overcoming hate. This is easier said than done, yet it is essential for understanding the true meaning of Christmas. The hymn also provides a plan of action for the darkest of times, prompting us to not only acknowledge and empathize with the suffering of others but take action to alleviate such suffering as an expression of God’s love. Sadly, this Christmas, the hymn’s promises seem painfully far-fetched as Palestinians continue to be subjected to the most intense escalation of violence we have seen.

For years, I have found that the Advent and Christmas story parallels the Palestinian experience: Mary and Joseph’s displacement to Bethlehem from Nazareth, the closing of all doors that would grant Mary the dignity of giving birth to the Son of God, forcible postpartum transfer to Egypt, and the subsequent marginalization and rejection of Jesus and his revolutionary teachings about the power of altruistic love and personal sacrifice in the face of hatred, oppression, and injustice. Mary, like many Palestinian mothers, was resilient in the face of a system that discriminated against her and her newborn child. Like so many mothers in Palestine, she would later experience the tragic loss of her son, who fell victim to an unholy alliance of corrupt religion, violent imperial power, self-interest, and greed. As he takes upon himself all of the cruelty, humiliation, and death-dealing violence that the empire has to offer, we put our hope in his resurrection for salvation and victory.

Today, our suffering intensifies, and we fear that despair and hopelessness will overtake us. Palestinians – children, mothers, fathers, young and old, continue to be denied their most basic right to exist. The continuous dehumanization of the entire indigenous population in Palestine leaves many defeated and speechless. The callous disregard from the world powers witnessing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and yet another catastrophe of forcible transfer is unspeakable. The lack of action taken to protect innocent lives challenges our collective morality. Yet, now more than ever, we are charged with embodying the true meaning of Christmas, through actions of love, compassion, and support. We must undertake our individual and collective responsibility for bringing an end to all suffering and the elimination of injustice. Only by our determination  to live and act with selfless love can we restore hope to those most in need of security, water, food, shelter, dignity, and the right to be… to exist… to live… and to prosper! 

This Christmas season, we are asking for your support. Partner with the critical work of FOSNA in the US and help amplify and support the essential witness of Sabeel, Jerusalem. The importance of our work is greater than it has ever been. With your support, Palestinian Christians can continue to practice steadfastness (Sumud) in the face of the ongoing atrocities and genocide! Your support tells them that the world sees them, hears them, and loves them.

May we all come to embrace the true message of Christmas!

 Sincerely,

 Saleem Alhabash

Co-Chair

FOSNA Board of Trustees

Layalat Al-Milad

On the night of Christmas, hatred will vanishOn the night of Christmas, the earth bloomsOn the night of Christmas, war is buriedOn the night of Christmas, love is born

When we offer a glass of water to a thirsty person, we are in ChristmasWhen we clothe a naked person with a gown of love, we are in ChristmasWhen we wipe the tears from weeping eyes, we are in ChristmasWhen we cushion a hopeless heart with love, we are in Christmas

When I kiss a friend without hypocrisy, I am in ChristmasWhen the spirit of revenge dies in me, I am in ChristmasWhen hardness is gone from my heart, I am in ChristmasWhen my soul melts in the being of God, I am in Christmas

Icon Author: Nicola Juha of Bethlehem