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Speaking some few years back, Pope Benedict told his Christmas congregation: "Only if people change will the world change; and in order to change,
people need the light that comes from God, the light which so
unexpectedly [on the night of Christmas] entered into our night."(Homily at Mass for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, December 25, 2008).
This phrase captures the essence of Christmas.
A small child tiptoed into our world quietly and virtually unnoticed.
A child like all children and yet altogether different - new life, but life eternal, - a child who would bring permanent light and make darkness a thing of the past.
This Christmas, I invite you to meditate upon the story of the Nativity:
- the birth of a child into a vulnerable and confused world,
- the value of this particular life and the value of all life, young or old, able bodied or in need, born or unborn,
- the power of gentleness and the beauty of simplicity,
- the core values of care and community, of family and friends.
The story of Christmas is an annual reminder of all that is at the heart of our God - a God who is with us, for us and in us.
This God we call Emmanuel.
Together, we pray, "Come Lord Jesus, Come!"
+ Denis Brennan