Christmas is a time for miracles.It is also a time when the dull things of daily life and the forecast of human hature gives way to a spiritual awakening.Allow me to share with you one truly wonder of Christmas.
Our miracle story comes from an incident that occurred in Flanders, Belgium, at the dawn of World War I. On December 24th ,1914, German and English troops faced each other from the relative safety of their ditches across which no man"s land lying between them. Suddenly, the silence was broken, not by gunfire, but by the strains of Silent Night arising from the German position. It wasn"t long before the English troops responded with a Yuletide hymn of their own. Then an amazing sight surprised the eyes of the English soldiers. A German soldier holding a small tree arranged with lighted candles began to walk across the land toward the English lines. This miraculous scene occasioned the declaration of a truce followed by English and German troops greeting one another, exchanging small gifts and singing songs of Christmas. Word of this incredible phenomenon reached the High Command of both sides.
On Christmas Day, both armies moved from their positions to engage in the killing of war at other battlefields. However, on Christmas Eve 1914 on a field in Flanders, there was Peace on Earth.
Christmas is a truly amazing phenomenon. The day and season perpetuate a miraculous, historical event as an annual presence that challenges an often rough, cruel, and egotistical creature -- the human being -- to become open and amenable to their Creator"s vision. The great miracle of Christmas continues in the performance of humane acts, moral honesty, and in the spiritual awareness of millions struggling to lead a life of grace.
圣诞奇迹
圣诞节是一个产生奇迹的节日。它也是人们从单调的日常生活和关于人性的种种预言中觉醒的日子。请允许我与各位分享一个真正的圣诞奇迹。
这个奇迹故事来自发生在第一次世界大战的黎明时分，比利时的弗兰德省的一件事。在1914年12月24日，英德两军分别在各自相对安全的战壕中对峙，谁都不敢越雷池一步。突然间夜空的宁静被打破，不是由枪声，而是由从德国阵地中传来的《平安夜》的曲调划破。不久英国军队中也奏响了他们自己的《圣诞季节》之歌。紧接着，一个令人惊奇的景象着实让英国士兵吃了一惊。一位德国士兵手持一棵小树，树上整齐地排列着点燃的蜡烛，他越过边界走向英国阵地。这一奇迹般的景象使双方暂时休战，英德两军互相问候，交换小礼物，唱圣诞歌。这一令人无法置信的情况传到双方指挥官耳中。
在圣诞节，两军离开各自的阵地转战其他阵地进行大规模屠杀。然而在1914年平安夜，在弗兰德省的战场上却出现过和平。
圣诞节确实是令人惊奇的节日。这一节日使一个令人叹为观止的历史事件永垂不朽，它对野蛮、残酷、自私的动物——人类提出挑战，它使人类变得开放，使人类遵循救世主的意愿。圣诞节的奇迹继续存在于人道主义行为、道德行为和那些千千万万已觉醒、努力追寻文明生活的人们之中。
