That Jesus Christ was born in a manger, in a stable and in the midst of hay and sheep in a poor peasant village sends a powerful message to us as we celebrate Christmas.

It means that poverty and the inequality between rich and poor is a pervasive problem that has been in this world for centuries. Mankind continues to address it.

This is seen from the impoverished surroundings in Bethlehem in which the child Jesus was born.

And yet his story became the Greatest Story Ever Told.

He had to be born to die on the cross and save mankind from sin.

His birth in abject poverty sends a message of hope that the future will be bright for all those who believe in Him, rich or poor.

No matter how poor we are born in, we can succeed, if we have faith in God. Thus, no matter how high the level of poverty in this region is – there is hope, a lot of hope that we can succeed and be a developed and economically powerful region.

To achieve this aspiration, we need faith in ourselves, as strong as we do in Him.

Being born in a manger is not an obstacle. Being poor is not permanent.

The story of the Nativity says so.