Christmas Broadcast to America
Saturday, December 25, 1937
The Lion of Judah has prevailed
Haile Selassie I, Elect of God
King of Kings of Ethiopia
I am very pleased to send you words
of my best wishes for your happiness,
progress and peace, on this blessed
day for mankind,
from the capital of Great Britain,
which is renowned for its hospitality.
Let peace reign in your hearts, among
your families, in the unity of your
governments, and in your relations
with other peoples of the world. There
is no greater day of gratitude and joy
for Christians than celebrating the
birthday of Our Saviour Jesus Christ.
On this day of happiness, every
Christian, by meditating on [Jesus']
life and the work He accomplished for
all of us, tends to forget the trials he
faces and the sadness that breaks his
heart. At the same time everyone is
inclined to minimize the trials and
sorrows of his own, his kindred, and
friends and forgives those who have
grieved him. Since Our childhood, Our
innermost thoughts have been
overwhelmed by the mysterious deep
spirit of the divine infant's birth, which
is not only expressive but also
glorious and inscrutable. Likewise, no
matter what one's reputation,
whether one's accomplishment is
great or humble, tiresome or fruitless,
in the journey of life, the mystery of
Bethlehem dominates our spirit.
With the birth of the Son of God, an
unprecedented, an unrepeatable, and
a long-anticipated phenomenon
occurred. He was born in a stable
instead of a palace, in a manger
instead of a crib. The hearts of the
Wise men were struck by fear and
wonder due to His Majestic
Humbleness. The kings prostrated
themselves before Him and
worshipped Him. 'Peace be to those
who have good will. This became the
first message.
When He sacrificed himself at
Golgotha for the atonement of our
sin, He prayed with His last breath for
the forgiveness of those who had
tortured Him saying, 'Father, forgive
them for they know not what they
do'. Shame on those of us who are
Christians and do not follow the way
of the Savior of the World, whose life
was filled with kindness, humility, and
martyrdom! If we lived by the laws he
gave us and were worthy of being
called Christian, peace would have
reigned on this earth.
Men were supposed to be the equals
of the living angels who unceasingly
sang praises before the eternal God.
Had this been so, peoples of the
world would not have been divided
along lines of enmity.
In truth there is no legitimate reason
or good cause which justifies war. Was
it not this fundamental spirit which
dwelt in American statesmen and their
brothers in other parts of the world
that enabled them to write the new
international principles according to
the laws of Our Savior. The principles
were intended to avoid the calamities
of war and to bring together the big
and small nations of the world as one
family and settle disputes that might
arise between them through
appropriate law and justice.
Well, there is not much to do about
that! Although the toils of wise people
may earn them respect, it is a fact of
life that the spirit of the wicked
continues to cast its shadow on this
world. The arrogant are seen visibly
leading their people into crime and
destruction. The laws of the League of
Nations are constantly violated and
wars and acts of aggression
repeatedly take place, and in regard to
this, your honorable president told
you recently that the principles of [the
Covenent of the League of Nations],
which were meant to assure the
peace and safety of all peoples, were
trampled on, and the forum of peace
was consequently disrupted. The
respectable idea on which [the
league] was founded was made an
object of mockery. The two-thousand-
year-old Christian Civilization was
threatened with destruction. If this
happens, there will be a return to the
days of barbarism, when the mighty
could realize their aspirations at will.
So that the spirit of the cursed will not
gain predominance over the human
race whom Christ redeemed with his
blood, all peace loving people should
cooperate to stand firm in order to
preserve and promote lawfulness and
peace.
War is not the only means to stop
war. Men of goodwill, who fully
recognize their duties, should be able,
with the assistance of all free men, to
prevent war and help rehabilitate all
those who were debilitated and
damaged by war, in order to protect
this precious diamond, 'Peace'.
People of America! I wish you a merry
Christmas. I plead with you to
remember in your prayers all those
weak and endangered peoples who
look to the flags of the free nations
with confidence, hoping to discern
the star which will announce their
peace and future security.
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