BISHOP GER'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Dear Friends

I hope you and your families and loved ones are all well and happy and looking forward to a great Christmas Celebration with family and friends. Christmas is the great season of goodwill and joy, in the midst of winter and it is right to be thankful for all the good things we receive throughout the year. The great gift of Christmas is the gift of the Saviour, who gives meaning to our lives. It is God’s answer to the great question, what is my life for? God gave himself to us in the form of Jesus and he invites us to the great happiness that comes from living for others. Christmas  can be a stressful time for those who are alone for Christmas, especially if it is their first Christmas without a loved one. The cost of living can also burden families as expectations often outrun resources or income. But deep happiness can come from knowing that we are enough in ourselves and the Saviour in the Stable is all the measure we need.

As we prepare to celebrate the Birth of Christ this year, in our mind’s eye we continue to see the images of the children of Gaza, the Ukraine and South Sudan.  The continuing tragedy of Israel and Gaza, the ongoing war in the Ukraine and the persistent and life destroying famine in East Africa, are all the more shocking when we see their effect in the lives of children. The terror of hunger, fear or maiming should be far from every child’s life and yet we see it daily in our media. It is right to reflect on it as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Baby who was God himself.. As we prepare for Christmas this year, it would be powerful if the telling of the Christmas story gave us a new impetus to leave aside hatred, jealousy, judgmental attitudes and allowed us to see the life changing effect of letting love in.

Our Diocese of Ferns continues it’s journey of change and adaptation to future challenges. All over the Diocese, lay people and priests are working together in new ways to share the common task of preaching the Gospel. The discussions about a changing church in Ireland are happening all over the country in the process known as the Synodal Pathway. Here in Ferns we are beginning to reflect on the work that is being done now and has been done on the past to explore the common mission of all people, lay and ordained. It is deliberate the the Irish Synodal process is now concentrating on the fundamental Sacrament that all Catholics and indeed all Christians share, the Sacrament of Baptism.

The Christmas story began with Mary and her acceptance of her place in God’s plan. She was truly faithful in the sense that she trusted God and felt that great things could happen if she said yes. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, the challenge given to us is much smaller but no less significant. Can we say yes over the holiday period to children, to the elderly and to the lonely or recently bereaved? Not just by giving material things but also by giving people our attention – the gift of noticing them and making them feel visible and loved in the world. Throughout his life, Jesus welcomed the outsider, the marginalized and assured them that being included was God’s plan for them. We will have plenty opportunity to do this over Christmas and the year ahead. It is in small things, kind words, a welcoming smile, a helping hand that the Kingdom of God is found and our chance to build God’s Kingdom is when we take the opportunities to do that.

I wish each and every one of you every blessing of this Holy Time and may the Christ who was born in a stable, be with you and your loved ones throughout the year ahead.