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News & Herald Western North Carolina
ing Catholics in
in the Diocese of Charlotte
Volume 2 Number 17
•
December
25, 1992
came among us
esus
that first Christmas
amid the cold of liter when the night r
ht,
half spent
is
...
This
came not complete and
wrd Jesus
my in
wfect fulfillment I prophecies
of all
of the
hient covenant;
He
\ne to bring all
imanity a magnificent
wson for hope, for joy,
peace mop John .
I
F.
Donoghue
I)ear Friends in Christ, |)nce again, we celebrate the leof our joy, the birth of Christ It is truly a joyous ti our world.
of year, and
b
)f Christ's
we
experience this in so many
coming
ways. We see the brightly of the Christmas seahining out clearly in the midst of :old and early darkness of the winter season. We hear with joy [pleasure the beautiful music of povely Christmas carols from We expeI culture and nation. e with joy the love of our family rent
red lights
Ifriends, Jitality
and we have the warm
of the homes of our fam-
ld friends graciously
opened up
is rightly the time for us to celebrate that is, to ; present in a very special way rue cause of our joy, our hope, )eace. And the angels of God proclaimed the reason for our 'hen they announced to the shep^ in Bethlehem's lonely fields Christmas salutation, "This day
Christmas
—
f
avid's City a Saviour has to
been
great ingratitude to a loving
and Father of us :
Special Child. Third grade students
at St.
Ann School
present the story of the birth of Jesus.
Angermeier, Kevin Trapp and Nick Strayhorn. The part of Joseph
Kevin Sullivan makes
his stage debut as the
is
Wisemen
pictured
left to right:
Karl
played by David Bernard, and Alison Nowell portrays Mary. Little
baby Jesus.
Photo by
JOANN KEANE
you, the Messiah and Lord."
Ve must all, then, rejoice at stmas and have a celebration iase not to do so would be to '
A
truly beautiful
all. Christmas and joyous eel-
ion of the magnificent reality he Lord Jesus has come to live jig us as a splendid gift given to / a loving heavenly Father. In tillness of that night, Jesus the was born of the Virgin Mary, sped warmly in swaddling clothes was laid gently in the manger at
Mehem's inn. He came as the mate manifestation of God's love Is.
pur abiding Christmas joy is alGod's divine love, shared so with us in our Lord Jesus. The
f.
1
promised and awaited Messiah
actually lives among us in Jesus, the Christ of God. He is here as our brother, ourfriend, our life-long com-
panion and our Redeemer.
When
Jesus came to live among us, beginning with his birth in Bethlehem of Judea, He brought with Him from
heaven above the wonderful gifts from a loving heavenly Father to lavish upon us ... the gift of God's divine love, God's amazing grace, the peace of the Lord God s enduring mercy and forgiveness, the promise '
a full sharing in Jesus all glorious resurrection ... the same Lord Jesus whose birth the angels proclaimed to the shepherds and whose Epiphany star the Wisemen carefully followed to Bethlehem's stable, still abides faithfully in our
of eternal
life,
midst through the wonderful realithe sacraments, ties of the Church the sacred scriptures and the power of prayer. No wonder, then, that we have such cause for joy and celebration at the Christmas miracle. The Gospel narrative of Christmas has come down now to us through almost 2,000 years of human history as the cause of our Christmas joy. As we approach the end of the second millennium, there is no truth that should be proclaimed as more important that this: The eternal Son of God has become a human being, through the almighty power of the Holy Spirit. God's own very Son has forever assumed our human condition. Perhaps now as never before in all of human history, it is more ur-
—
gent that
we
rediscover the tremen-
dous dignity and value of our humanity. We must realize who we are in God's eyes and what we are destined to become, according to God's gracious design in this world and in the next.
My wish and my prayer for you and your loved ones here at Christmas and all during the coming year is you may truly rejoice in all both human and divine that is the celebrathat
During the comLord Jesus bless you with His peace and grant you and your loved ones the gifts of good health, happiness and peace of mind. tion of Christmas.
ing year,
may
the
— Most Reverend John F. Donoghue Bishop
Of Charlotte