The Nativity of the Lord

There’s a wonderful way in which the Christmas message emerges from out of the midnight darkness as we gather for this Mass: the first words of Scripture we hear tonight are like the beaming of a star through the blackness of night: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.’ The mystery of Christmas is this – a great revelation: a light in the darkness, a star through the night, the birth of the Sun of Justice; the showing to the whole world of the love of God, made visible in Jesus. No wonder there is a great throng of the heavenly host shattering the darkness of the cold night on the hillside outside Bethlehem – because the invisible night of sin and sadness is shattered by the light of the Saviour’s birth. Christmas is a very emotive and (in a sense) romantic feast: many of the congregation this evening will come with childhood memories and their own idea of what Christmas is about. It is important that we are aware of this, so that you we can allow the deepest wonder of this night to penetrate through what can sometimes be rather shallow thoughts about the mystery. Remember it is not about ‘then’ – this is about ‘now’ and our salvation.

To view and download a copy of the Weekly Newsletter click HERE

To view and download a copy of the Prayers of the Faithful click HERE

To make a donation click HERE