DILIP GUHA ★ New Delhi : The Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, known for their unique symbol of harmony among faiths, celebrate Christmas Eve by honoring the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. This joyous occasion is marked by worship and the reception of his blessings, emphasizing the importance of human values and unity. The celebration is conducted in a manner befitting the solemnity and significance of the day.
Christmas Eve holds a special place for the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, which celebrate the festival uniquely. The celebration is organized at the main temple in almost all the branches of the Math and Mission.
The Delhi center has a long tradition in this regard. Every year, the Archbishop of Delhi and other dignitaries join the celebration. This year, the celebration was held at Vivekananda Auditorium on the mission’s premises in a grand manner, with decorations and the lighting of the entire temple compound.
The festivities match that of any popular Church in the city, complete with Christmas carols, candle lighting, prayers, and offerings of cakes. The temple is decorated beautifully and the photos of baby Jesus and that of Lord Jesus are placed at an altar and worshipped. A monk performs a special Christmas Eve aarti with candles and offers cakes and biscuits to Christ.
The celebration begins with the lighting of candles and an offering to Lord Jesus Christ by Swami Amritamayananda, along with the playing of recorded Christmas carols during the candlelight arati. This was followed by a reading from the New Testament by Swami Kripakarananda.
Rev Swami Sarvalokananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi welcomed all those present, on the occasion
The six distinguished speakers present at the occasion were: Rev. Fr. Anil Joseph Thomas Couto, Archbishop of Delhi,
Rev. Dr. R. R. Bhaskar, Presbyterian Priest-in-Charge at St. John’s Church, Mehrauli, New Delhi,; Rev. Dr. M. D. Thomas, Founder and Director of the Institute of Harmony and Peace Studies, Dwarka, New Delhi., Swami Atmagyannanda Minister in charge of central Ramkrishna Vedanta Brazil and Dr. A. K. Merchant, Secretary of the Baha’i Spiritual Assembly of Delhi NCT., Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, Judah Hyam Synagogue, Delhi.
They enlighten the audience about the significance of Christmas and the message of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Swami Sarvalokanandaji Maharaj, in his inaugural speech, said the birth of Jesus Christ and his life has been an inspiration to humanity to follow the message of love, compassion, and fraternity. He said Every year we celebrate Christmas Eve in all the centres of Ramakrishna Mission spreading all over the world.
Ramakrishna Mission a Hindu organization celebrates Christmas Eve because Hinduism is a religion that believes that all dharma is equal. He explained the question that is often asked by the people: why does the Ramakrishna a Hindu organization, celebrate Christmas Eve?
Firstly, the principle sarva dharma is corroborated by the speech of swami Vivekananda parliament of religion in the year 1893 he said “We Hindus or Hinduism not only believe in universal tolerance but accept all religions as true”
Secondly, Swami Vivekananda had great respect for Jesus Christ. He believed that religion, like everything else, progresses through events, and at the summit of each significant moment stands a mighty spiritual leader and teacher of humanity. Jesus Christ was such a figure for him. Vivekananda paid the greatest tribute to Jesus, stating, “Had I lived during the days of Jesus, I would have washed his feet not with my tears but with heart’s blood.” He admired the teachings of Jesus, which he considered timeless and universal, not confined to a particular goal or religion.
These teachings have always been relevant throughout history. In the current scenario, they are increasingly pertinent, especially in light of the violence, war, insecurity, and restrictions that society faces today. The message of love and compassion that Jesus exemplified becomes even more significant against this backdrop of turmoil and conflict.Today, when the world finds itself tormented by strife, hatred, and violence, his words and deeds have the power to heal wounds and show the way out.
Thirdly, today is a very important day in the Ramakrishna Mission’s Order as Swami Vivekananda took a vow to serve humanity along with brother disciples on this day.
Christmas is a day of celebration of human values that nurture mutual caring and sharing and transform life itself into a festival.
The origin
The Ramakrishna Mission has a very special association with Christmas Eve.
The origin of these celebrations can be traced to Sri Ramakrishna himself. He practiced spiritual disciplines according to different faiths and based on his experiences concluded that all the paths ultimately lead to the same goal. That is why he proclaimed, “As many faiths, so many paths” i.e. Yato Mat Tato Path. He had an extraordinary vision of Christ during his Sadhana of Christianity and was profoundly influenced. After his Mahasamadhi(death) in the year 1886, Narendranath and eight of his monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna gathered at Antpur, a village in rural Bengal, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal upon the invitation of Matangini Devi, the mother of one of his brother disciples. One evening these youngsters lit up a fire similar to the Dhuni (sacred fire lit by monks in Northern India) and sat around it in meditation. After they had meditated for quite some time, Narendranath talked glowingly about the life of sacrifice and service of Jesus Christ. He encouraged his brother’s disciples to lead a life of intense renunciation. They spent the whole night thus in prayer and meditation. The next morning they came to know that the previous evening was Christmas Eve. More than 2000 years ago that night Jesus Christ was born.
The Antpur village is much developed now and it also has a beautiful center of the Ramakrishna Math. Slowly Christmas Eve has become one of the important celebrations of the Ramakrishna Order. Today monks and devotees spread across over 220 centers in 23 countries of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission celebrate this occasion with due solemnity. 🍁
