Alf McCreary: Here's wishing everyone a happy 2024 - rather optimistically

This horrendous conflict in which Israel in its justified defence of its territory is now losing most of the international sympathy it had by its onslaught on Gaza which has been described by the former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as a “killing rage”.

All of this is far away from the Christmas message of ‘Peace on earth and goodwill towards men’ in that part of the world where the founder of Christianity was born and raised to deliver to all of us the inspiration of a better way of living and of tolerating our differences.

Back home our problems pale into insignificance compared to the widespread destruction in the Middle East where the suffering of the people of Gaza, particularly the women and innocent children, is now unbearable to watch.

There is suffering too among the Israelis, though its leadership has not yet heeded the warning of the Christian leader in Jerusalem who said recently that “violence only creates more violence”.

This is something that we know only too well, given our tortured and violent history over recent decades.

However, we still have our own major problems including the continuing political deadlock, the intermittent violence with a murder or a serious physical assault every other day, as well as strikes where people feel justified in imposing their pain on the rest of us, and a cost of living crisis caused partly by the disgraceful absence of government at Stormont.

There is also the tail-end of a disastrous Tory rule in Westminster which has made the UK a laughing stock in the rest of Europe and across the Atlantic following the madness of Brexit.

Nevertheless when some may have felt like abolishing the celebrations this year, the Christmas spirit was inspiringly noticeable in people spending what they could afford on presents for loved ones, or enjoying the marvellous Christmas lights everywhere, and most important of all in crowding into carol services to celebrate the timeless Christmas comfort of hope and redemption.

This is where the churches excel in telling that story, and none more so than St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast where on Christmas Eve I joined a jam-packed congregation to experience yet again the Biblical story of Christmas in traditional Scripture readings and wonderful music.

The Wise Men symbolically have departed from us, and our Christmas Day is over, though not so for large sections of Europe and the Orthodox Churches where Christmas is celebrated early in January.

So what happens now as we look forward tentatively to 2024, when anyone wishing you a Happy New Year might be regarded as an optimist?

There is indeed much about which to be apprehensive.

Internationally we wonder how and when there will be a settlement to the tragic wars in Europe and the Middle East, or whether the Americans will be foolish enough to re-elect the deeply flawed Donald Trump as their new President, which could prove to be a nightmare for America and the rest of the world, and particularly for Ukraine.

At home there is also apprehension about the future of Stormont, and people wonder if the DUP’s prolonged examination of the current London offer is more of a reflection of the party’s in-fighting, rather than an attempt to secure the best deal for all of us here.

There is also the UK general election in 2024 and the apprehension of an outcome where Labour, if elected, can really clear up the mess created by the Tories, and what this means for Northern Ireland.

However we can only hope for the best, and therefore we should keep close to us the message of Christmas to help sustain us for another year.

So, with a sense of hope as well as a certain apprehension on my part, I wish you all a Happy New Year!