Even as ISIL butchers their brothers and sisters to the north, even as family members sell all they own to flee the country, the Christians in Iraq have begun their celebration of the birth of Christ. Over the last few months, the members of the St. George’s Chaldean Catholic Church in Baghdad have dwindled, and more than 75% have left the church ringed with police checkpoints and blast walls. Rev. Miyassir al-Mokhlasee, who pastors St. George’s, told The Washington Post, “If it stays this way, we will shrink to nothing. We believe that God wants us here for diversity in the region. Unfortunately, people are afraid of the future, and they are leaving.” The Christmas message of peace on earth and good will towards men must ring poignantly for Iraqi Christians. More…