Christmas Message
2002
Most Rev. Dr. Philip Boyce, Bishop of
Raphoe
In
Giving We Receive
Christmas is the Feast of a Child and the Feast of Peace. The glow and
trappings that surround the weeks of preparation sometimes make us forget that
the heart of Christmas is the birth of the Son of God in human flesh and into a
human family.
Peace of mind comes when we are at peace with God and with others. The
Child born for us at
Bethlehem
re-established harmony with God. He introduced us into the divine family
where we are children of God. Let us not refuse such a precious invitation. God
himself is begging us for our friendship. Could we be so foolish as to turn a
deaf ear?
We can be at peace and have inner joy despite the trials of life. The
year that is coming to an end has been a difficult one for the Church. She has
been tested and tried. Much suffering has come to light. A sense of shame and
sorrow has gripped our hearts.
Yet, God has his designs and purposes of peace in all he allows to
happen. Christmas can help us to look on the Divine Child and pray for all
children. Happiness and joyfulness and peace of mind are not on sale with the
normal range of gifts in shops and stores. They come without paying for them in
Euro. The price is different: they come from doing good, from being generous,
from saying a kind word, from turning to God in prayer, from making others happy
by reaching out to them with words and deeds of love and kindness. It is truly
in giving that we receive.
We experience the peace and joy of Christmas as we visit our friends,
bring our children to kneel in wonderment and say a prayer in front of the crib
or gather together with our family to rest and relax. If Christmas does bring
peace, could we not extend its spirit to other days of the year? As the poet
says: “Peace on earth will come to stay,
when we live Christmas every day.”
Christ came into our human family on the night of the first Christmas at
Bethlehem
. For this reason, Pope John Paul II could
say some weeks ago: “Christmas is above
all a celebration of the family, because God, being born in a human family,
chose it as the first community consecrated by his love.”
May this Christmas season bring peace to your homes and families. May it
fill you “with all peace and joy in
believing” (Rom.
15:13
)
X
Philip Boyce
Bishop
of Raphoe