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The Archbishop's Christmas Message (2001)
“But
after faith is come we are no longer under a school master for we are all
the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on
Christ.” Galatians 3:25-27. “But
as many as received Him, to them he gave the power to become sons of God
even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12 The
event which took place today at Bethlehem, in a humble crib within a cave,
is that of the Birth of the Infant Jesus, of the Incarnation of God.
He is made Man in order to open the gates of Paradise to fallen
man, driven as he has been out of the house of the Heavenly King.
The star appearing in the East is the sign of victory over sin and
of the defeat of Satan. It
is a sign for the world. The more we take account of this truth the more
we will appreciate the true value of God’s gift; it alone can give us
the resources for the struggle to reach a new life of freedom from the
grip of fear and anxiety. Indeed,
as God’s children by faith in Jesus, we have acquired new life in the
Spirit. Because of this it is now possible for us to live in
communion with God and our neighbour in love, holiness and goodness. Born
in a lowly cave, Jesus came to free human beings, renewing
in them the image of God that was darkened by sin.
He invites us to strengthen our bonds with the church He Has
founded. It calls
us to realise and live out what is noblest in us.
By His coming Jesus has spread the light of the knowledge of Him
over all the world. He
has brought to the one who believes in Him a life of peace. Only He can
give this boundless peace. The
divine Infant, born in a mean cradle,
has put on the nature of man in order to make it possible for men
to enter into a relationship with the One who created
them. He offers them a life that enables them to taste
the glory of God and actively associate with His divinity. He has become
human like us in order to sanctify us and cause us to share in the very
dignity of God. Because
of that he invites us to His table to take part in the great feast of the
heavenly Kingdom. There, Luke the Evangelist tells us in the parable of
the marriage feast, all are
invited without exception, rich and poor, noble and depraved, the great
and the lowly of this world, the wise and the foolish.
The heavenly King has invited all those
there at the Feast, through His Son Jesus, the Mediator; the
intervention of prophets, saints, and just men of old have also played a
part. And God
continues now to make His offer ceaselessly as
He speaks through pastors and teachers of the church saying
“Come. All is ready.” The
gathering of believers in Jesus are invited to the heavenly Feast. Those
refuse who prefer the ephemeral things of this world to the joy from
above. They refuse the grace of God which calls them to become His
children. For that
reason “none of these men who were invited shall taste of My supper.”
Lk 14:24. The
heavenly Father does not exclude anyone.
He gives all of us His peace and showers us all with His blessings,
His grace and the riches of His spiritual gifts.
He asks us all, for his love surpasses all understanding and is the
same for all. We have
only to accept his Word and put it into practice.
By a life of putting these virtues into practice -
of integrity, holiness and faith
- we will be in
a position to respond to his invitation and share in the heavenly glory.
The divine light that came from the cave at Bethlehem lights up the
darkness of evil and causes it to flee. We must walk in this light if we
are to have a place at the heavenly Table.
There we will enjoy the blessings of God, and the good things which
are eternal. All
those who know their conscience has been “made white” - lit up -
through the light of the knowledge of God, this has been because their
lives have been led according to the gospel and teaching of Jesus,
their lives are anchored in Christ by a solid and deep faith. These are
the ones who are invited to the heavenly Feast. They are the ones who will
share in the riches which await them there. Their offerings are acceptable
to God and they will be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In
commemorating the Birth of Jesus we ought to invite Him to be born in our
hearts. “All of us
who have been baptised in Christ have put on Christ.”
By His abundant grace He gives us the strength of a life lived in
Him and strength to share in his work. As He has affirmed in his Gospel
“He that believeth on me . . . out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living
water” John 7 v 38. Or
again “I am the Light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk
in darkness but shall have the light of life” John 8:12. Christmas
2001 Archbishop
Gabriel |
