 Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington
"Christmas 2003"by Bishop William S. Skylstad (From the Dec. 18, 2003 edition of the Inland Register)
How ironic it is today that Bethlehem is afflicted with deep tensions amongst peoples. The peace process grinds on. At the moment, there seems little hope for any successful resolution to the violence and tensions which rend the region throughout the year. Nevertheless, our Christian tradition calls us to be people of hope. Hope was the virtue so readily identified in Mary and Joseph as the Christ child was born into their family. Those times, too, were difficult, but they trusted in the Providence of a God whose promise was fulfilled in the infant Savior. In so many ways, we too face a difficult and violent world. We are followers of Jesus, and like Mary and Joseph, we must trust in Divine Providence and our belief that the promise of God will be fulfilled. Christmas gives us a sense of perspective and balance as our lives unfold and we journey in faith. The message of the Infant Savior, the Prince of Peace, is needed more than ever. Perhaps because we have come into a new era of a world so readily connected by communication, mobility, and commerce, the opportunity has never been greater to integrate the message of the Gospel into the global village. That message can truly be salvation in our times. Trying to go it alone, without living the message of the two great commandments – love God, love neighbor – simply doesn’t work. Loving God above all else and loving neighbor as ourselves provides a solid foundation for the building up of humanity and the human person. Anything else is like striving to build on sand. As always, we must begin with ourselves. What does Christmas mean for me? How can I make it meaningful through my witness and example? First of all, we are challenged to have open hearts to the coming of Jesus in our lives. In a complex world of activity, images, tensions, our focus should always be on our Lord Jesus who comes. The humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth reminds us of the humility that should possess our hearts, a humility that expresses dependence upon God ultimately for everything and a humility that helps us to relate to one another in deep mutual respect, forgiveness and appreciation. How changed our world would become if we lived that kind of humble acceptance of the Savior and our relationship with one another! The bettter that message is lived in us, the greater the power of Gospel message of salvation in our world. Yes, our world truly needs to be saved! Second, as we integrate Jesus’ coming into our own lives, we need to be aware of the great responsibility we have to give witness to the presence of Jesus. In a wonderful way, Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Through her “yes” and her mothering, Jesus came into the world as Savior. It’s very appropriate that Mary has a special place in our devotions and spirituality. She was God’s instrument of bringing Jesus into the world. We, too, have the similar privilege and honor; by our witness and example, we make Jesus present in our own time. A few weeks ago I was in Rome for the beatification of Mother Teresa, now Blessed Teresa. Her radical witness of loving and caring for the poorest of the poor has captured the world community. The huge crowd at the beatification was remarkable. But we don’t all have to be Blessed Mother Teresa. Through us, Jesus comes to every person. With that power we have the potential to touch every human heart. The life of Jesus lived in and through every one of us brings salvation to the world. We all are instruments of the Lord, and we make Christmas happen again and again. What a great honor and privilege for us all and what a great opportunity. We dare not let it pass unused and unheeded. Finally, I express to all of you and your families prayers and best wishes for a joyful and blessed Christmas and Christmas season. May God’s peace be with you.
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The Advent season leads us on the faith journey of hopeful expectation as we once again prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Our society has a significant focus on the commercialization of Christmas, it’s true. But for those of us of the Christian tradition, this is a time for us to recognize ever more clearly the Light of the World, born as a babe in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. The lights, decorations, and thinking of loved ones are indeed a special part of our preparations leading to Christmas day itself. We Roman Catholics keep our decorations up as we continue to celebrate joyfully and gratefully the Christmas season which follows after Dec. 25. I hope the spirit of the season brings us all to a much deeper appreciation of the significance of this special moment in human and salvation history.