What is your vision, your dream for the future? How do we build a sustainable world appropriate to our needs without plundering the world’s natural resources and which has due regard for the human spirit?

For years, I have campaigned on issues - economic, social and environmental. Rarely do I meet anyone who is able to articulate a vision for the future, which is wholly generous. The vision is usually one of restriction in which joy is way down the priority scale. Today we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. Christ is nothing if He is not a person of joy, love and generosity. He wants a world which is sustainable in which future generations are looked after and in which wonderful things happen. A world in which the child’s values are paramount - full of fun, beauty and kindness for our fellow creatures on God’s planet. No war, no hunger, and no poverty - a world of fairness and justice in which all God’s creatures have worth and are treated equitably and justly. This is not the world, as we know it. Bad news is everywhere. The economic indicators are not as good as they should be. Hospitals have huge waiting lists. The earth is warming. Insane people are rife and we do not necessarily know who they are. We need visionaries to lead us out of this despondency and to allow us to realise our blessings and make us happy.

Today, you are the visionary. What kind of sustainable world do you want to live in? This world undoubtedly must be one in which economic, social and environmental factors are in balance, where renewable resources are replenished, pollution is controlled, the population is stable, hunger and poverty are no more and in which government is democratic and responds to the needs of its people. However, what else do you want for your children and their children?

In a sustainable world, what would your home be like? Where would your energy, your water, your food come from? How are old people and young people treated? Is it a place of beauty and joy? What work are you doing in this place? With whom are you doing it? How do you get to work? How do you view the rest of the world? How are conflicts resolved? How do the people fit in with nature - the planets, the animals, the soils and water, moon and stars? What pace of life do you want? What makes the people laugh? Will you want transport or will you be happy to be at home in the place you love or nearby rather than travelling around the world?

Now you have the makings of your vision. The trick is to translate this into reality through political and community action. This will take time. Christ has been working on the Gospel -the Good News, for 2,000 years. However, all will be well in a world full of love and generosity. We must make it so. This is my dream.