Hello and Happy Christmas to you all.
Many of you will remember the man used to turn up behind the goal posts at GAA matches with a sign that simply said “John 3:16”.
“John 3:16” is the verse in St. John’s Gospel, where we read: “God so loved the world that gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life”.
That is what we celebrate with our Christmas carols, our Crib, and our Midnight Mass. In the midst of all the change that we experience in our society and in our own lives, some of which can be quite challenging, the one thing that never changes is God’s love for us.
It is not just that God gave his only Son, but that His Son Jesus remains with us always, in his Word, in the Sacraments, and in the gathering of our faith communities.
In recent months Pope Leo has spoken about the need for a change of mentality – a new mindset – inspired by the love of God. I think most people will understand this instinctively.
We think of Christmas as a season of good will, a time when we try to reach out to others, and especially to those who are on the margins – and all, as the song says “because a child is born”.
But, when Pope Leo speaks about a change of mentality, he is talking about something the goes deeper and lasts longer than the twelve days of Christmas. He is talking about having in us, all year round, the mind of Jesus.
In our human way of thinking, we tend to put things, and people in boxes. but, as Pope Francis often said, “everything is connected”.
The Birth of Jesus is also connected. It is connected, for example with the Feast of the Annunciation, back in March, which reminds us that, like every child, Jesus began his life’s journey, long before he was born, as an embryo in his mother’s womb.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents, which we celebrate a few days after Christmas, reminds us that innocent children continue to die on a daily basis as victims of the struggle for power and for the control of natural resources.
How then can we talk to our children and grandchildren about the “flight into Egypt”, without being drawn into solidarity with the millions of refugees who are forced to leave their homes every year.
Early in the new year, the Feast of the Epiphany invites us to recognise that, when migrants come to our shores, they often come bringing gifts which benefit our society and our Church.
A week later, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, marks the beginning of his public ministry, inviting us to recognise that, through our own Baptism, each one of us is called to mission.
Pope Leo is realistic enough to say that he doesn’t see it as his mission to solve all the world’s problems. Neither can that possibly be your mission or mine.
But like Pope Leo, we can all bear witness to the love of Jesus. We can adopt a mentality which sees others, whether nearby or far away, as persons like ourselves. Christians cannot be silent onlookers on the fringes of society.
When we see things as Jesus saw them, and especially when we have the courage to share that vision with others, our new mentality has the potential to bring about change, not only in how we act, but in the way our society operates.
I take this opportunity to say a word of thank to our priests and deacons, to the religious sisters, administrative staff and catechists, and all who serve so generously in parishes across the Dioceses of Achonry and Elphin.
In sending my Christmas blessings to all of our parishioners, I think especially of those who are sick or lonely at this time.
I also want to include your family members who are away from home for whatever reason.
I think particularly of the members of the Irish Defence Forces who have recently travelled to Lebanon in the service of peace, and I pray that for them and those they serve, peace will prevail this Christmas and in the year ahead.
God bless you all.
Bishop Kevin Doran