CHRISTMAS 2024

Helpless but not hopeless

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

At Christmas, we look to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The name of the town means “house of bread (food)”. This has great significance for us who believe that Jesus is the bread come down from heaven: for the life of the world. An important detail in Luke’s account of the Nativity is that, after he was born, Jesus was placed in a manger. “Manger” is an old word, no longer in common use, which means feeding trough. From the outset, Jesus is presented as the living bread offered for those who desire to live with God forever.

As our gaze turns to Bethlehem, we grieve for the present reality of the land where the Son of God took his first human breath. The words I wrote earlier this year, at Easter, are still sadly true: “Violence has begotten more violence; and ordinary and defenceless people are being ground up in the unforgiving wheels of history, politics and the arms trade.”

We may feel helpless, but let’s not give in to hopelessness. The true message of Christmas is that a light has shone into our darkened world. God has entered our world to redeem it from within. Each one of us can say yes to this hope every time we say yes to the acts of forgiveness, reconciliation and love that we can decide to do. And we can find the strength to keep doing that when we come to Mass and are nourished by the living bread who is our Saviour.

 

+Michael McKenna
Bishop of Bathurst