Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and your families.

May your hearts be filled with joy and happiness this Christmas season, for it is a special occasion. A time of warmth, friendship, laughter, festivity and, above all, celebration.

It doesn't matter how many years have passed since that momentous day in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, but the joy and wonder of it still shines through. God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, so that all who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Let's keep the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts.

Pope Benedict XVI expresses it clearly in these words:

"God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfills them. The child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history. And it was not a political liberation that he brought, achieved through military means: rather, Christ destroyed death for ever and restored life by means of his shameful death on the Cross. And while he was born in poverty and obscurity, far from the centres of earthly power, he was none other than the Son of God. Out of love for us he took upon himself our human condition, our fragility, our vulnerability, and he opened up for us the path that leads to the fullness of life, to a share in the life of God himself. As we ponder this great mystery in our hearts this Christmas, let us give thanks to God for his goodness to us, and let us joyfully proclaim to those around us the good news that God offers us freedom from whatever weighs us down: he gives us hope, he brings us life."