Many years ago, on a sparkling clear Christmas Eve, a friend
and I stood beneath the stars on a very cold and silent winter’s night. Our
parents and siblings were having dinner inside the house, celebrating one of
the eight days of Hanukah. Wrapped in a warm, jacket, barely audible from
behind a large scarf, Mark lifted his head to the sky and said, “I don’t know
about Jesus, or about what we’re supposed to believe about this night, but I
know that something very special has occurred.”
Like Mark, some people will come to our churches this Feast
of the Nativity, unsure of what they believe, but knowing deeply within their
hearts that something special has occurred.
“Christmas is a time of coming to terms with God’s all
embracing and redemptive love for us,” said the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Perhaps what my friend Mark described as “special,” was a glimpse of God’s love
and embrace, a mysterious “surrounding” for which he had no words.
God’s Word, spoken through a human voice and amplified by a
divine heart, is for our well-being and fulfillment. He announces a truth from
which we cannot hide, and through our persistent engagement with its message, we
discover a new life has been born within. Through Jesus, God holds us and loves
us with a loyalty that inspires us to reach out and hold the human family.
In these times of economic insecurity and grave uncertainty,
the most important gift that we can give is ourselves; our steadfastness with
others, our loyalty to the promises of God’s kingdom, our generosity in
stilling the anxiety of others, our capacity to forgive and set free those
living in the bondage of shame. The light of God leads us to peoples in whose
heart Christ has already found a home, and from which we will discover anew the
gift of God’s profound love.
With the pains of poverty or near poverty facing over 40% of
our population and the persecution of Christians prevalent in so many countries
in the world—we can learn much from the grace and faithfulness revealed through
the deep heartache of these, our sisters and brothers, who are so rich in the
spirit of Christ.
We may feel powerless to help, but I assure you that they
are strengthened by the knowledge that their plight is not forgotten, and that
the prayers of others unite us across otherwise insurmountable boundaries. So,
we pray for all for whom Christ entered this world and died for its redemption.
We pray, and we write letters; we share financial resources, and we spend time
in listening. We give and we receive, a hundred fold. Through the power of the
Word enfleshed, the Father’s love is born into the world, and into each of us.
It is our joy to receive this gift as invitation and opportunity as we join in
the long line of saints through whose lives others have experienced forgiveness
and liberty.
To my priests and deacons, I know how challenging it is to focus
on the word of God, when many look to you to attend to pastoral and liturgical
details. May this holy season of the
Nativity give you time for stillness in the face of such awesome responsibilities, and a deep knowledge
of God’s devotion to you who have chosen to follow him in such a wondrous and
generous calling.
May you have a Blessed Christmas, a joyous celebration of
the Holy Name and the Feast of the Epiphany, and a season that reveals Jesus’
all encompassing love for you.
Yours Faithfully,
Yours Faithfully,
Bishop of
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