Dear sisters and brothers,
St John, the evangelist, in one simple sentence describes the deepest meaning of Christmas: “God so loved the world that God gave his only Son.”
That catches the heart of the story. It is because God loves the world, and loves human beings, that God did this. If we think about that over and over, then we discover something about God, and a great deal about this world and about human beings. Imagine. Christmas expresses how much God loves the world!
It’s not God loving us “from a distance.” It’s God loving us and becoming part of this whole cosmos, and because of that, everything is different.
Not only did God visit us. God became part of the human family, and God is still part of the human family, and God will be part of the human family forever.
At the birth of Christ, the manger was full – he was lying in a manger as a baby boy. At the resurrection of Christ, the tomb was empty. It’s not as though human nature was a costume God wore, and when he was finished with it, he left it behind and went back to being God. Christ became one of us, and when he rose from the dead his human body was still with him. That’s why the tomb was empty. He still stayed one of us and is still part of our family today. The child who was in that manger lives on as a human being, one of us, today. That’s what we celebrate at Christmas.
Yet, very often in these tumultuous and violent times – with war and chaos breaking out everywhere – from the horrors and destruction in the Middle East and Ukraine to the floods and frightening climate change events – it can be tempting for us to become despondent.
But take heart from the words of the angel to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a saviour has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”
There is a movement within us all, within the human race, toward goodness, toward fulfillment. And it can’t be taken away, for the Word became flesh and dwells among us. This is what we celebrate on this holy night.
God’s greatest revelation is not through power, majesty, wealth and splendour. Rather, he made himself the poorest, the most vulnerable and despised of all. The birth of Jesus signals God’s alignment with those who are at the edges of society. This Christmas, as we contemplate the Christ child in the manger, let us commit ourselves to pray and work for justice in all its manifestations so that God’s reign will come in our world.
May the Christ child bless you and your families with a peaceful and holy Christmas!
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv
Bishop of Parramatta
