Dec. 25, 1992

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IATHOLIC

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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


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Dec. 25, 1992 by Catholic News Herald - Issuu