Christmas is a time for gathering with family around a lavishly set table, for unwrapping presents beneath a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. It is a moment of rest, joy, and abundance. Christmas reminds us of the birth of Jesus, who came into the world in a stable, because there was no room at the inn for his parents – Mary and Joseph. They were poor, insignificant, with no wealth, no home of their own, no influential friends to help them. Left to fend for themselves, they found shelter in a modest shed, where Mary gave birth to the Son of God. We tell this story with emotion to our children and grandchildren, emphasizing the injustice faced by the Holy Family. In memory of this story, during Christmas Eve in Poland, we traditionally leave one place at the table for a wandering stranger – a symbol of someone who has nowhere to go, someone searching for a home.

 

While we sit by the fireplace, dressed elegantly, sharing the wafer and wishing each other all the best, a different reality unfolds nearby. People are being murdered, but we choose not to see it, not to spoil the festive mood. They have no Christmas tree, no holiday feast, no piece of bread – not even the right to live. And us? We say there's nothing we can do. That it’s not our concern. That it’s too complicated. We don’t have time to think about it.