Christmas
Today, Christmas Day, the words of the prophet Isaiah are resounding powerfully in our churches and resonating in our hearts: “a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder -Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” Yes, there is no exaggeration in these titles as His birth reveals the fullness of God’s plan: not a world built on the consequences of Adam’s disobedience, his sin, but one created in love, crowned by Christ, drawn into the life of God as surely as God has entered into the life of this world. He became a true human being with everything that human existence carries with it, except sin. This is the meaning of this Christmas, and every Christmas: that God so loved his creation that he humbled himself to become part of it. This is his greatest gift: we know that our life is worth living, because he wanted to live it with us. This message is very appealing, especially now, in this extraordinary year during which so much of what we have taken for granted has turned out to be more fragile than we ever feared. Christmas reveals that we are children of God not only in the fullness of life in the future, but now here on earth. May Jesus’ humanity and his divinity help us to discover more and more fully our beauty and dignity. May our commemoration of his incarnation strengthen our determination to discover our likeness to our creator and our true vocation. My dear Brothers and Sisters, I wish you a blessed Christmas and New Year! May it be filled with spiritual growth, deep and authentic joy, and health for you and all the members of your family and your friends. My prayers are especially with those who live alone or are ill. God’s joy and peace!
Fr. Mark Jurzyk