I would like to share with you something that the great preacher, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, said, “I think God must have said to Himself: Man does not love Me because He does not see Me; I will show Myself to him and thus make him love Me.  God’s love for man was very great, and had been great from all eternity, but this love had not yet become visible… Then, it really appeared; the Son of God let Himself be seen as a tiny Baby in a stable, lying on a little straw”.  Christmas is about God making himself visible in Jesus to show his love for us.

The Gospel of St Luke Chapter 2 gives us a snapshot of what happened on the night when Jesus was born. When Mary gave birth to her son, Jesus, She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room available for them at the Inn. There were shepherds around minding their flocks when an angel appeared to them and told them: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds went and found the baby and then they returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen,

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. The letters M – A – S after a word mean “the feast of”. Therefore the actual word “Christmas” means the feast of Christ. It would be a great pity if we were to ignore the meaning of the word Christmas and refer to this period of joy and peace in other terms, like the festive season or the holiday season. Christmas is festive in nature and we do enjoy a holiday in this period, but we must not eliminate the word Christmas for this period with the excuse that the word may offend others who do not share our belief. I can assure you that no other religion ever objected to the word Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Christ. No one objects to the celebration of the Chinese New Year, because of a fear that it might offend persons who are not Chinese or Buddhist; no-one objects to the celebration of Diwali, on the grounds that it might offend persons who are not Hindus. And rightly so. Why, then, should Christians be treated differently? To eliminate anything that refers to Christ in shops and superstores full of Christmas goods shows which way we are heading if we do not put back Jesus in Christmas.

We pride ourselves on this blessed Rock for being a tolerant and friendly people, respecting each other and living in harmony with each other. That is essentially the message that Christmas brings to all of us. The birth of Christ was not glamorous. What the gospels tell us is that God in Christ stepped into the depths of our broken, sad and troubled world to bring us what we need: peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and a transformation of our lives.

It is sad to notice that although we pride ourselves on being friendly and generous, when an issue arises which leads to different attitudes and opinions, the language that is at times used towards one another and about one another may be bitter, vindictive and hurtful.

On social media in particular, people seem to lose all restraint in attacking those with whom they disagree.

We have a choice. We can treat one another as a threat, abuse those who are different from us, misrepresent people’s motives and spread lies about them; or we can follow a better way, reaching out to others with care, attention and service.

If that sounds simple, it is; and it is the simple message at the heart of the Christmas festival.

As we celebrate Christmas this year and bring to mind the birth of Jesus, may our lives be deeply touched by God’s love. As we contemplate the child Jesus who is born, may our hearts be filled with joy. This is the time when we reach out to others who are in need of our support, care and love, those who are suffering in some way or other. Let us also remember and help out those in other places who are being persecuted, tortured and even martyred due to their beliefs.

God is with us and shares our human life, the joys and challenges along with our pain and suffering. The word Emmanuel beautifully describes the gift of Christmas, it means ‘God is with us’.   This is the main message of Christmas.

Christmas presents a challenge to all of us. We are called to become messengers of Emmanuel, to help bring Christ’s love to the world. Let us be Emmanuel’s messengers, let us be his hands, feet and voice. Let us bring his love to all.

May I suggest that now is the time to make an extra effort to keep Christmas not just on the 25^th of December but throughout the year, by getting closer to Jesus.

I wish you peace and joy this Christmas. I pray that our Heavenly Father will abundantly bless you and all those you love this day. May he shower you with every grace and blessing throughout the coming year. Happy Christmas.