Christmas 2025: A Mayo prayer for peace in an era of world turmoil

As we have arrived in the season of goodwill to all men and women, it is important to reflect on how much has changed, for better and for worse, since Christmas 2024.

It is fair to say that, internationally, matters have not improved a great deal with Europe still in turmoil over Russia's ongoing threat to Ukraine and the repercussions it is having in so many ways across the continent.

Europe has very much a cold war feel about it and moves to invest considerable sums in upgrading the defence forces of national armies, including our own, is very much a throwback to former, horrific times that no sane person wants to see repeated.

Poor political leadership and judgement have been contributory factors, of course, and we are unfortunate to live in an era when two of the world's traditionally great powers are now led by self-serving, power-driven and reckless personalities in the shape of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The uncertain state of world affairs is destined to deteriorate further as long as they remain in charge and are allowed to run amok as they do.

There is also a sense of fear and anxiety that what's coming after them in both the USA and Russia may not, sadly, be much better.

At the time of writing, many other nations across the globe are also facing uncertain futures.

They include Sudan, Syria, Myanmar, Haiti, Yemen, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, countries facing civil wars, insurgencies or major humanitarian crises, not to mention the ongoing regional tensions between Israel and Palestine and the instability impacting regions from the Sahel in Africa to South America and the Asia-Pacific.

The concept of a Happy Christmas in these lands is a very remote one indeed.

We are fortunate in Ireland to have problems that really pale into insignificance when compared to others.

So let's celebrate our sense of stability and general welfare this Christmas while praying, in our own private way, for peace, comfort and political change for the better elsewhere.