by Sr. Sheila Devane MMM                             Ireland                                 15.01.2025 

Today is called “Nollaig na mBan” in Irish or The Women’s Christmas.

There are many traditions associated with this day. The Epiphany calls us to remember the Three Magi or wise men who came from the East to adore the infant Jesus. Here in Ireland it is the day when the women retire from all kitchen work, celebrate with each other and let the men carry out the domestic chores! It is also the day when many families and businesses take down their Christmas decorations.

I am taking down my own decorations – or what still remain after a few small efforts over the past few days. I won’t be removing all my decorations this year – can I tell you why? This is a photo of my wee Christmas tree which is only 11 inches tall and 9 inches wide carrying a star and lovely festive decorations. Sadly this year it holds a very poignant story of innocent people no longer with us and of others still very seriously injured.

On December 20th I was busy doing a whole varity of things in preparation for Christmas and late in the day saw a missed call in my phone from a family member; I was worried wondering was something wrong? Who was sick? Or what? I tried to call a few times, left a voice mail message but my cousin was clearly busy too. Hopefully she was rushing about doing last minute things?

I missed the evening news and when I eventually turned it on there was an extended report of an attack by a single gunman at a Christmas market in a city in East Germany, ambulances, police cars, firebrigades and panicked people were being flashed up on the screen with journalists speaking to shocked onlookers and simulataneous translations happening for the world media. As I was watching aghast Kay rang again; I asked immediately if there was anyone sick in the family and she quickly asked if I were watching the news to which I replied:… “Yes I am looking at the terrible carnage in Germany in a city called Madgeburg.”

Kay went on to tell me that this was why she phoned me earlier in the day; she heard the terrible news, remembered being in Magdeburg in 2016 at the truly wondrous Christmas market and buying me a little Christmas tree believing a very small, portable, ornamental tree would work best for an MMM so that I could take it with me whereever I was going to live next!

This is one ornament that I have always liked and have put up religiously every year; this year I will not be putting it away; I would like to keep it up to remember all those killed, injured and bereaved in that incredible atrocity. I will remember too the many people who helped at the scene, those in the emergency services and since then in hospitals, funeral parlours, churches, mosques, families and neighbourhoods.

Mögen sie alle so gesegnet sein, wie sie es am meisten brauchen.
May they all be blessed in the way they most need