THE Archbishops of Armagh have urged people to inject more hope into their lives as they come together for their joint Christmas message.
Catholic Archbishop Eamon Martin and his Church of Ireland counterpart, Archbishop Richard Clarke said "hope is indeed a rare commodity", especially in recent months amid violence and destruction in the world.
But they have appealed for others to become "people of hope".
"Although we often wish people a happy Christmas and peaceful New Year, we very rarely use the word 'hope' or 'hope-filled' in relation to either," they said.
"People now seem to find it difficult to feel real hope for the future, for the world, and even for themselves.
"Hope is indeed a rare commodity and people are sometimes cautious about wishing for too much hope, lest they be disappointed.
"In the world around us, with all the violence and destruction that we have seen in recent weeks and months, there seems to be little interest in any scenario of hope."
But the Archbishops said people "should not wish simply for hope for ourselves".
"Hope is something we are called to bring into the world in the name of Christ. If we are to be people of hope, we are also to be agents of hope," they said.
"When we follow the call of Christ and seek to bring hope into the lives of others - material as well as spiritual hope - we then have grounds for real hope.
"What we do for others - in simple ways, or sometimes demanding ways - is sowing hope for the future.
"Around us in this country, there are those who can feel no hope for themselves or their families, whether through deprivation or because they are refugees from violence.
"We can become envoys of hope in the name of the Christ, who was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
"Just as he came into our world to bring hope into places of despair and light into the midst of darkness, so also can we become people of hope.
"Perhaps this year we can with sincerity wish others a hope-filled Christmas and New Year."
