At this time, we are living in a troubled world, with the war in Ukraine and famine in the Horn of Africa being among the places that we are hearing about. They are places far away yet near to us as news of suffering due to war, famine, destruction and death are communicated hourly and daily via our screens, radio channels and newspapers.
Indeed, the effects of these situations are having an impact upon us here in Ireland with the arrival of an increasing number of refugees. Also, we know that more people in Ireland are suffering the effects of simply trying to make ends meet.
The Christmas story is about the baby Jesus being born at the darkest time of the year. Joseph and Mary undertook a considerable journey of 90 miles (almost 150 km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, to the city of Joseph’s ancestors to complete the Roman census. We remember that Mary, nine months pregnant, travelled on a donkey during Winter. Their uphill and downhill journey took some days, and they endured freezing nights as well as the threat of outlaws and wild animals. Then Jesus was born among strangers in the noisy and dirty conditions of a cave used for housing animals, as there was no place else. Therefore, Jesus came among us as a helpless vulnerable child born into poverty and hardship.
In that spirit of Christmas, we welcome family and friends, we give gifts, and we are mindful of the those suffering the effects of war, poverty and hardship. It is a time of goodwill, and we like to include others and provide as best we can for those in need. We are that privileged people challenged to include others and we can respond especially at Christmas time. In the aftermath of the worst effects of the pandemic, we appreciate all the more the value of being able to gather, provide a welcome and include each other in our gatherings.
We give thanks for the opportunity to reach out to others, especially, those most in need at this time in our world, our country and our communities. As a privileged people, whom God has come among as a little helpless baby, we are called to include others especially those who are suffering hardship and poverty.
We give thanks for that desire within us to provide what we can for those in need. May we respond generously to that desire within us so that others may experience the love of God, a light in the midst of darkness, the ways in which God cares for us through us. We give thanks to God who has taken root in a privileged people.
With prayerful good wishes in the spirit of Christmas.
BISHOP MARTIN HAYES Roman Catholic Bishop of Kilmore
BISHOP FERRAN GLENFIELD Church of Ireland Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin & Ardagh