英国女王圣诞致辞全文
the queen’s christmas speech XX
in this past year my family and i have been inspired by the courage and hope we have seen in so many ways in britain, in the commonwealth and around the world. we‟ve seen that it‟s in hardship that we often find strength from our families; it‟s in adversity that new friendships are sometimes formed; and it‟s in a crisis that communities break down barriers and bind together to help one another.
families, friends and communities often find a source of courage rising up from within. indeed, sadly, it seems that it is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human spirit.
when prince philip and i visited australia this year we saw for ourselves the effects of natural disaster in some of the areas devastated by floods, where in january so many people lost their lives and their livelihoods. we were moved by the way families and local communities held together to support each other.
prince william travelled to new zealand and australia in the aftermath of earthquakes, cyclones and floods and saw how communities rose up to rescue the injured, comfort the bereaved and rebuild the cities and towns devastated by nature.
the prince of wales also saw first hand the remarkable resilience of the human spirit after tragedy struck in a welsh mining community, and how communities can work together to support their neighbors.
this past year has also seen some memorable and historic visits – to ireland and from america.
the spirit of friendship so evident in both these nations can fill us all with hope. relationships that years ago were once so strained have through sorrow and forgiveness blossomed into long term friendship. it is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.
of course, family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community, organization or nation. the commonwealth is a family of 53 nations, all with a common bond, shared beliefs, mutual values and goals.
it is this which makes the commonwealth a family of people in the truest sense, at ease with each other, enjoying its shared history and ready and willing to support its members in the direst of circumstances. they have always looked to the future, with a sense of camaraderie, warmth and mutual respect while still maintaining their individualism.
the importance of family has, of course, come home to prince philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the god-given love that binds a family together.
for many this christmas will not be easy. with our armed forces deployed around the world, thousands of service families face christmas without their loved ones at home. the bereaved and the lonely will find it especially hard. and, as we all know, the world is going through difficult times. all this will affect our celebration of this great christian festival.
finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of christmas. jesus was born into a world full of fear. the angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: „fear not‟, they urged, „we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a saviour who is christ the lord.‟
although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. god sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general (important though they are) – but a saviour, with the power to forgive.
forgiveness lies at the heart of the christian faith. it can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. it is in forgiveness that we feel the power of god‟s love.
in the last verse of this beautiful carol, o little town of bethlehem, there‟s a prayer:
o holy child of bethlehem
descend to us we pray
cast out our sin
and enter in
be born in us today
it is my prayer that on this christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of god through christ our lord.
i wish you all a very happy christmas.
英联邦女王伊丽莎白二世的XX年圣诞致辞
过去的一年里，我和我的家人在英国、诸英联邦成员国以及世界各地看到了人们以不同形式所表现来的勇气与盼望，我们为此深受鼓舞。我们看到：正是在生活困苦时，家庭给予了我们力量;正是在逆境里，新的友谊就此诞生;正是在危机中，社会大众打破隔阂，团结互助。
家庭、朋友和社会大众常常会找到一股萌生于内部的勇气之源。让人遗憾的是，确实往往是“不幸”促使这份人文精神焕发出最耀眼的光芒。
今年在菲利普亲王和我访问澳大利亚的时候，我们亲眼目睹到自然灾害对当地所造成的影响。一月份时，一些地区被洪水淹没和摧毁，许多人因此失去了他们的性命和生计。然而，当地的受灾家庭和受灾民众仍团结在一起，相互扶持。我们被他们的行为所感动。
新西兰和澳大利亚遭受地震、飓风和洪水的侵袭后，威廉王子抵达受灾地区慰问受灾民众。他看见了当地的群众自发地组织伤员的营救，安抚痛失至亲的同伴以及重建被大自然摧毁的城镇。
威尔士亲王(查尔斯王储)也亲自见证了在威尔士矿难发生后人文精神的强大复苏力以及矿工团体是如何团结一致去支援他们的同伴的。
过去的一年我们也见证了一些充满纪念意义的历史性访问——诸如对爱尔兰的访问以及来自美国的访问。
与诸国友好邦交的明朗面貌让我们彼此间都充满希望。数年前一度紧张的两国关系已经因忧患和宽恕转化成长期的友好关系。我们应该通过历史的镜头去看待今日的纷争，这样才能收获明日的希望。
诚然，“家庭”不是一定只代表血缘亲属之间的关系，它往往是对一个团体、一个组织甚至一个国家的一个描述。英联邦是一个拥有53个成员国的大家庭。我们拥有共同的联系，共同的信仰，共同的价值观和目标。
这些共同之处让英联邦成为最真切意义上的一家人，彼此和谐共处，共享同样的历史，随时准备和愿意去支持处于艰难困境的联邦友国。他们团结友爱，互敬互重，而又不失独立的个性，共同展望同一个未来。
对于菲利浦亲王和我个人来说，今年我们的孙辈的两桩婚事也把家庭的重要性带回到了家中。他们各自举行了婚礼来庆祝这两段让家庭更和睦亲密的天赐良缘。
对许多人来说，这个圣诞节过得并不容易。由于我们的武装部队部署在世界各地，数千个服役军人的家庭都无法和他们至爱的家人共度这个圣诞。对于痛失至亲者和孤独无依者来说，在这个时候会更觉艰难。同时，正如我们所知道的那样，这个世界正处于一个困难的时代，我们无法无视这些不幸而安心地庆祝圣诞佳节。
在逆境中寻找希望是圣诞节的主题之一。耶稣降生到一个充满了恐惧的世界。天使们来到惊恐的牧羊人面前，用充满希望的声音对他们说“不要惧怕”，天使安抚道。“我们给你们带来大喜的讯息，是关乎万民的。因为今日在大卫城里，一位救世主为你们而诞生，那就是主基督。”
尽管我们能尽己所能去行善，但是历史告诉我们，有的时候我们还是需要自我救赎——将自己从鲁莽或贪婪中救赎出来。上帝派遣了一个珍贵的人来到这个世界，他不是一个哲学家，也不是一个将军(尽管前两者非常重要)，他是一位救世主，拥有宽恕的力量。
宽恕属于基督教信仰中的核心。它能使破碎的家庭重圆，它能让朋友间言归于好，它能让分裂的团体再度团结。正是宽恕让我们感受到了上帝的仁爱。
在《小城伯利恒》这首美丽的圣诞赞歌的最后一节中，有着这样一段祷告：
“哦，贝利恒的圣婴啊
我们祈祷你降临到我们身边
驱免我们的罪
然后进入我心
今日就在此诞生吧”
我祈祷我们所有人都能在生命中悦纳来自天使的讯息和上帝通过主基督施予的仁爱。
