Christmas is an auspicious time for reflection and healing, for praying for oneself and for others.

The festivities, the partying, the alcohol, the gifts and the frenzy of Christmas shopping bring cheer and a positive feeling to the heart after a long, stressful year with so much negativity in the world around us.

Underlying the Christmas spirit is a subtle feeling of sombre charity.

When one sees the faces of little children light up with joy when they open their presents, one cannot help but feel the spirit of the Lord in all of us.

Over Christmas, one feels for the poor and the needy, the sick and the suffering and, for once, the urge to give is more powerful than greed.

You want to experience the greater joy of giving than receiving.

Acts of compassion seem to be a natural urge of human beings almost as if one was searching for peace and healing for oneself in doing so.

Isn't it interesting that the major annual celebrations of most religions coincide around November and December?

I wonder if the constellations, such as the Star of Bethlehem, exert a more powerful cosmic force of healing over the world during winter?

One has to wonder at the marvel of Nature and remind oneself there is more to our being than meets the eye.

That is perhaps why it is important to revisit our inner spiritual energy and connect with others over Christmas if we are to promote a happy and healthy life on Earth.

When we pray, we become humble. We lose our hatred, our fear and our greed and replace it with love, compassion and courage which give us the strength to cope with our daily lives and maintain positive individual and social health.

A study in the USA demonstrated distant praying for the sick helps to speed up their recovery. The meditative power of prayer brings us into harmony with the goodness in our hearts.

You may have noticed when we feel resentful, we experience a feeling of illness in our body but when we forgive and share love, a feeling of positive health spreads through our whole body like a spiritual cleansing process.

So let us all pray this Christmas for healing of the sick and for harmony in our own lives.

As Jesus Christ told his disciples at Bethany described in Mark 11, V24-26:

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them./ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses./ But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."