Saluting the fishermen at Yuletide

Christie FERNANDO

Christmas comes but once a year and it is at this time, the fishermen in these parts eagerly look forward to the tidings of joy at Christmastide, heralding the birth of Child Jesus. And being ardent and devoted Catholics, they prepare themselves materially and spiritually to the dawning of Christmas. A fishermen thinks he must primarily eat, drink, make merry, and lead a contented and unfettered life.

It's a well known fact that the fishermen on his coastal belt are predominantly God-fearing Catholics who repose their implicit faith in an Omnipotent God who showers His blessings and graces and provides their daily sustenance. Reciting the prayer 'The Our Father', they say: "Our Father in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who wrong against us".....

The die-hard and weather-beaten fisher folk fulfil their Sunday obligations by attending the Sunday Holy Mass, and so keep the Sabbath day holy and literally 'feasts' like a 'Lord' on a Sunday as Sunday is generally known as the 'rest day' for them. They eat and drink right royally in a grandiose manner and rests on a Sunday.

But a fisherman's life is a hard and daunting one. He loves the sea at heart, and being committed to seafaring ,ventures into the deep and choppy sea everyday except on a Sunday. It's virtually a gruelling battle of life and death for the fishermen in the turbulent and tempestuous sea to make ends meet and sustain their families, day in and day out.

We can hardly comprehend or fathom his struggles, fears and uncertainties, venturing into the deep sea everyday. A fisherman has his obligations to feed his family, come what may.

Lamentably, half the year, it's the 'off season' for him, which means he can fish only for six months in the year and the rest of the year he can only harvest meagre catches of fish. So, he is impelled to pawn his gold and jewellery when he's in penury and acquire loans to keep the home-fires burning, when the sea is rough and turbulent. During the lean season, when there's no glut of fish, he waits patiently for better times to venture into the sea again to earn his livelihood.

It's not a secret that hard-working fishermen are often indebted to the rich 'Mudalalies' who are their immediate bosses. It's only from them that they can obtain a loan when they are desperately in need.

We should salute the fishermen who sustain the nation by providing protein-rich fish in our plates of rice we consume daily.

We should salute the fishermen equally as the farmers who provide the rice. For, without fish, our meals would be insipid and tasteless.

We should hail the farmers too during this season of goodwill and joy: for they too toil hard day by day to provide for the nation. May the Baby Jesus bless them all abundantly and enrich their lives who toil endlessly to feed the nation. May I wish one and all a happy and peaceful Christmas, full of God's choicest graces and blessings!