Every year at Christmas The Record invites the Bishops of Western Australia to send a Christmas message to our readers. Here, Archbishop Barry Hickey suggests parents take advantage of the season to teach their children some of the key details of the Christmas story.
Archbishop Barry Hickey: Christmas reveals God’s huge plans for us and the whole world
If you look in the Old Testament references to Bethlehem you will find two very significant things.
One is that it was the birthplace of King David and his family (1 Samuel 17:12), the second is that the Prophet Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
When the Wise Men began asking where the “infant king” was, King Herod became very worried that he had a rival to the throne and asked the scribes and the chief priests where the Messiah was to be born. They answered without hesitation “Bethlehem in Judaea” because they were well aware of the prophecy of Micah.
This is why Herod tried to massacre all the children under two, to get rid of any potential rival.
It seemed quite unlikely that Mary’s son would be born in Bethlehem because she lived in Nazareth, a long way away. It is a very strange coincidence, but we know it was no coincidence at all, that the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, called for a census to be taken of the whole Roman empire. This meant that all men had to go to their tribal town. As Joseph was of the tribe of David he had to go to David’s home town, Bethlehem, for the census. (Luke 2:1 & 2).
This is a most remarkable way for the prophecy of Micah to come true, that God would use the Roman emperor. This made it possible for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth.
The Holy Father has recently issued an Exhortation called Verbum Domini (The Word of the Lord), in which he asks us to get to know the Bible better.
Christmas is a good time for parents to teach their children Bible stories, especially the story of why Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem so Jesus could be born there and nowhere else. Parents could open up the Bible at the references I have mentioned above and help the children become used to finding things in the Bible.
If you visit our restored Cathedral you will see an unusual statue of St Joseph on the right as you enter. He is with a carving of St Mary of the Cross who called her Sisters “Josephites”. On the statue of St Joseph, pictured as a strong Jewish carpenter at work, you will find Hebrew words: “Joseph, Son of David”. These were the words the Angel of the Lord used to address Joseph (Matthew1:20).
I suggest the next time you take your children to the Cathedral you get them to find the words in Hebrew and tell them what they mean and why. It may make the children curious about St Joseph and the prophecy about Bethlehem. This Christmas let us renew our faith in Jesus, the Saviour the world was waiting for.
The more we become familiar with the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament the more we understand the huge plan of God for the salvation of the world.
It increases our faith and brings into high relief the importance of Jesus in today’s world of violence, drugs and broken lives. In your home try to make a little corner of faith with a candle, and crib if possible, or images of Jesus’ birth.
Place a Bible there too as its central theme is waiting for the Messiah, Emmanuel, God With Us, Jesus Christ the Child of Bethlehem.
I wish everybody all the peace, joy and love of this beautiful Christmas Season.
Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton: This Faith, this Word are not meant to be mute
I
have had the opportunity to spend some considerable time with the four
deacons who are preparing for their ordination to the priesthood early
next year. We are engaged in a programme to prepare them to preside at
the liturgy. Of course, they are excited about the call they have
received by the Church to be priests. At the same time they are in awe
of the plan of God for them, and they are a little nervous.
I am sure that this Christmas our deacons are living the experience of
Mary and her husband, Joseph. Like any other parents, they were changed
by the coming of Jesus into their lives. The eventual birth of Jesus put
an end to a certain number of doubts in their minds. Providing and
caring for the baby began immediately and there was little time to give
to other issues.
Mary had cause to wonder at the things that were being said about her
son. She felt a deep sense of awe at what God had done within her. She
must have wondered how it was all going to turn out.
Some years ago, I watched the Papal Mass of Christmas Midnight, and I
was taken by the special Procession of the Word of God that had been
inserted into the Mass. The procession arrived at the figure of the Baby
Jesus in the Manger that had been set up near the Papal Altar in St
Peter’s Basilica.
The Book of the Gospels had been carried and placed in front of the
Nativity. The eternal Word of God, the Son of the Father, became flesh
(Jn 1:14). In this way the Son who is consubstantial with the Father,
became consubstantial with us.
For Mary, who lived for some years beyond the death and Resurrection of
Jesus, would see how her son continued to be present in the world
through the preaching of the Apostles. The eternal Word of God began to
be handed on in the Church’s living Tradition (Verbum Dei, 7). The
pondering on the future for her son by Mary was answered in an amazing
way. Generations of people after her would come to know her son
personally.
“… Christianity is the “religion of the Word of God, not of ‘a written
and mute word’, but the incarnate and living Word”. Consequently the
Scripture is to be proclaimed, heard, read, received and experienced as
the Word of God, in the stream of the Apostolic Tradition from which it
is insepa-rable.”(Verbum Dei 7).
Our deacons and, indeed, each of us in the Church are called to receive
and in turn proclaim the experience of Jesus, in the living Word of the
Scripture.
A highlight of the year for the families in the Archdiocese had to have
been the SEEK Family Conference that was held in October. Its theme was
the promotion of prayer within the family.
The Conference gave, among many examples and experiences of prayer, the
opportunity for the participants to learn the method of praying with the
Scriptures we know as “Lectio Divina”.
This method is becoming better known and more widely practised.
I hope that more opportunities will be provided for “Lectio Divina”to be
learnt and spread. Families will benefit from this way and the others
that are available to let the Word of God enter under their roof.
Marriage preparation that I offer to couples brings out so often the
enormous reserve in them to pray together and to talk about their faith.
We should not be surprised that many new Catholic families will
struggle to insert prayer into their daily lives.
My Christmas prayer and hope is that the image of Mary pondering all
that she had heard about her son will be one that remains in our
consciousness. May we seek the gift of a heart that grows in reflection
and union with the Saviour.
I wish you and your families the blessings of peace and joy as you gather with your loved ones.
May your celebration of Christmas be a deep encounter with Jesus Christ,
whose presence in your heart will be welcomed and remain close.
Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan: Christ really is present to all who seek
Christmas
is a time to ask ourselves: “Am I truly more at peace within myself
this year than last year?’ If ‘no’ is the honest answer, it is worthy
wondering: ‘Why am I celebrating this Christmas?’
Stresses and conflict now are very much part of daily life. Marriage and
family break down are on the increase. Violence, vandalism and crime
are growing.
The peace of Christ grows within
Jesus came to bring ‘peace on earth to all who enjoy God’s favour’ [Luke
2:14]. His is ‘a peace which the world cannot give’ [John 14:27].
The peace of Christ grows within us. It cannot be found in drugs,
alcohol, superficial and fleeting relationships or the other
‘anaesthetises’ people these days try to ‘feel good’ and relaxed.
This peace can grow within only as we relate personally with Jesus
himself in the ways he taught. As we recall each Easter, Jesus is risen
and present to all who really seek him – unlike Buddha and the founders
of other religions, who no longer are alive.
As we relate with Jesus personally, His divine power grows within us. Peace grows within us as His power changes us.
And as we grow in inner peace, relationships change. Love grows and
selfishness weakens. The ability to forgive grows as hurts are healed.
Dominant emotions such as unworthy desires and anger are calmed. This
frees us to live ideals. We can conquer temptations to behave in ways
our consciences tell us are against God’s laws. There are many other
examples.
Christ’s peace must be accepted
Christmas reminds us that Jesus offers His peace to all. It is accepted
by all who relate personally with Him in the ways taught. As Jesus said,
these are those who ‘keep my Commandments’ [John 14:14].
The first and greatest of these is to love God with our whole hearts,
souls, minds and strength [Luke10:27]. Jesus taught his followers to
love God by praying daily and worshipping, particularly through the
Eucharist and other sacraments he gave for his purpose.
Why is this His first Commandment? Because it is the empowering
Commandment. Christ’s power grows in our lives through these means. This
is the power that changes us.
The second Commandment of Jesus is to love others as we love ourselves
[Luke10.28]. This means to be selfless and forgiving, just and
compassionate.
To love others means obeying God’s Commandments to honour father and
mother; never to kill an innocent human life, be it born or unborn;
never to commit adultery or engage in other forms of sexual immorality.
It includes God’s Commandments never to steal, or to lie, particularly
by saying what is untrue about another person; never to lust after
others, or to covet what belongs to others.
Questions for self reflection
Often the Second Commandment of Jesus can seem impossible to keep. Human effort to live the Commandments of God is not enough.
If we have not grown in inner peace since last Christmas, we need to ask
ourselves ‘Am I drawing on Christ’s power for my daily life?’ ‘Do I
pray daily?’ ‘Do I worship God, particularly through the Eucharist?’
‘Do I seek Christ’s power to love others in the ways Jesus taught, to
keep the Ten Commandments?’
May you have Christmas peace
As we approach Christmas, let us ask ourselves honestly whether we are
more at peace within this year than last year. The answer to this
question tells us whether our relationship with Jesus is growing.
May each of you grow in Christmas peace – and become instruments of peace in your families and among your friends.
Geraldton Bishop Justin Bianchini: Turn to the saints to catch a glimpse of Heaven
Even
though Pope Benedict XVI canonised St Mary of the Cross MacKillop in
Rome on 17 October this year it is still very fresh in our minds and
hearts.
As we reflect on the life of St Mary of the Cross we see how she
connected to a variety of people. Her relationships extended beyond
family and the Church to Jews and Protestants. In fact we know the
Jewish family of Emanuel Solomon and a Protestant woman Joanna
Barr-Smith were very close and supportive friends. She still connects to
people around Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, Peru, Timor
Leste and goodness knows where. She connects us, I believe, very much to
the feast of Christmas.
Some years ago Pope Benedict XVI received a group of first Communicants
at St Peter’s and chatted with them. They were free enough to ask him
their questions. One lad said “If God is real, why can’t you see him?”
The Pope chuckled and with his typical gentle smile said “Well you can’t
see electricity either, but it is still very real”.
The Pope could have answered this young boy with other examples.
At Christmas time it would have been quite easy to say, “because God is
spirit, he sent his Son among us by becoming one of us, a human being,
visible like all of us”. St John put it so beautifully in the Gospel we
read at the last Mass of Christmas Day – “The Word became flesh, He
lived among us, we saw His glory, the glory He has from the Father, as
the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn1:14
The words of St John also in his first letter in the New Testament are
so simple and profound “Something which has existed since the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which you have
watched and touched with your own hands, the Word of Life – this is our
theme” (1Jn1:1).
You and I believe this and have come to know and love Jesus. Christmas
is a time to deepen our appreciation and love of our selfless Saviour.
However, there are others in our Country, in our communities and maybe
even in our families and Catholic Schools who still wonder or doubt or
do not believe in God.
St Mary MacKillop is a reminder to us of how the Saints in a very practical way make God real to others.
They in some way make God again incarnate. God in some way takes flesh in them.
It is because they are so imbued with Jesus that he shines out to
others. Other people can in fact see and touch and hear Jesus in them.
When I speak of the Saints, I mean not only the canonised ones, but all
the good people there are – people around us and people like yourselves
who are reading this and walking the path of Christ.
St Teresa of Avila is reported to have said “Christ has no body but
yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours, yours are the eyes with
which He looks compassion on this world, yours the feet with which He
walks to do good, yours are the hands with which He blesses all the
world.”
This means that the Lord’s work is there to be done by us now in the
present day, in the circumstances of our daily lives. It also means very
truly that it is Jesus working in and through us. When people see us or
are helped by us they see Christ and know through us His love and help.
But let me return to Mary MacKillop.
So much has been said about her in these past weeks. So much has been
written about her over the years. All, especially the Sisters that knew
her, agree and comment on one particular quality – her kindness.
So to appreciate how, in Jesus, the kindness and love of God appeared,
we can go to Mary MacKillop and see further reflections of that
kindness.
The Saints, like St Mary, don’t take from Jesus, but lead us to know,
appreciate, love and serve him better. Saints help the gospels come
alive. It has been said that “Saints are to Gospel as the played music
is to the written notes”. To put it in another way the “Saints are a
window into the Gospel.” Saints have their special place in the life of
the Church and our lives. They are a little incarnation of Jesus who is
the incarnation of God the Father.
Be inspired by the Saints, especially our own first Australian Saint. They reflect Jesus to us.
As we in turn become more imbued with Jesus, we will in turn radiate him more to others.
Cardinal George Pell, in his inspirational homily at the Mass of
Thanksgiving in St Paul’s Basilica the day after Mary MacKillop’s
Canonisation, said: “Mary MacKillop is a great saint. We need many more
in Australia”.
I am sure he would agree that we need to be saints to renew Australia as Mary MacKillop did in her time.
Christmas is a rich time of Grace when our God reaches out again to us in so many ways.
It is a time to take more steps along the road to holiness as the Vatican Council has called each member to.
It is a time to take more steps along the path to sainthood. A very happy Christmas to you all.
Broome Bishop Christopher Saunders: A saintly Christmas
We have become very familiar in recent times with discussions and thoughts about saints and canonisation and holiness.
For this we give thanks to our own St Mary of the Cross. A spectacular
celebration in Rome, along with countless Masses, remembrances and
prayer services, offered up in gratitude all over our nation, marked the
occasion of her elevation as Australia’s first Saint. She has
encouraged us to strive for holiness, in the sure and certain hope that
even in the Australian context it is attainable, should we have ever
doubted it! She is home-grown and easy to relate to, one of us,
down-to-earth and completely devoid of any pomposity.
Much of what defined Mary MacKillop is found in the life of other Saints
too, such as Mary, the Mother of Jesus and her husband, Joseph. Their
lives were as simple as could be: they found shelter where they could
for them and for us, a stable at the back of an inn was the birthplace
of the Saviour, no slick resort or swank apartment. They lived
unpretentiously; the boy child was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lay
in a manger. They were all embracing; they played host to heavenly
angels, impoverished shepherds and strange wise men from the East. They
accepted the great disappointments in life and cherished the finer
things in their hearts.
Mary of North Sydney and Mary of Nazareth have much in common. It is
evident that Mary MacKillop learnt from the life of Mary of the
Magnificat, as she did from the quiet achiever Joseph, after whom she
named her Congregation of Sisters. It is no wonder that there is a
distinctive resonance in the remarkable holiness that distinguishes the
life of our Mary, most recently proclaimed a Saint for the universal
Church. Holiness for her meant conforming her will to the will of God
and serving Him generously and faithfully.
Mary, the Mother of the boy child, Jesus, and her husband Joseph,
through their example instill in us an appreciation of the wonder and
generosity of God. At Christmas time let us focus even more strongly on
this couple joined to the world through the birth of their Son Jesus,
Our Lord and Saviour. This is the season to celebrate the family, when
it is good to reach out and acknowledge this basic building block of
society that is regularly treated so carelessly by some elements in our
country. It is a special time for remembering that it is the simple
things of life that truly matter and to concede that the desire to
tirelessly consume and amass material goods is socially destructive and
spiritually damaging, for ourselves and our nation. Conversely, to live
the way of a family bound by love and holiness is an invitation which
promises a richness that is fulfilling and life giving.
As we turn our minds to the festive moments of Christmas let our
celebrations of this beautiful occasion turn also to our deep desire to
seek holiness. May the lives of Mary and Joseph inspire us in this
quest as they did St Mary of the Cross. May I take this opportunity to
wish you and your family God’s choicest blessings now and throughout the
coming year.