“The earth has grown old with its burden of care, but at Christmas it always is young. The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair, and its soul full of music bursts forth on the air, when the song of angels is sung.” These words, by poet Phillips Brooks, sum up for me a bundle of feelings that run through my heart and mind as Christmas 2008 approaches. Certainly, there is no denying the challenges, the disappointments, the heartbreak and violence that have marked our world in these last 12 months—most recently, the dramatic downturn in the economy, the brutal terrorist killings in Mumbai, ongoing fighting in the Holy Land, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries and regions. Some would say that these are enough reason for cynicism or skepticism concerning humanity.
But the message of Christmas is precisely the opposite: a message of hope and renewal, a message of light in our darkness, the coming of God into our midst—at Christmas, yes, but not only at Christmas—in every day and moment, if we are awake and attuned to that presence. Christmas forcefully reminds us that God is Immanuel, “God-with-us,” and God’s presence reassures us that healing and peace are possible, that justice is not unattainable, that reconciliation—which Jesus achieved between earth and heaven—can also take place between human beings, social groups and nations. Indeed, at Christmas the world becomes “young” once again—young with hope and dreams and promise—precisely because of the message sung by the Bethlehem angels. The message of the Christmas Scriptures is exactly that: a message of undiminished hope, of God’s tender nearness, and of our power to be God’s instruments in transforming our world … for God is with us.
This issue of “The Word is Life” is packed with articles for your reflection and prayer in these special Advent and Christmas days. Our President, Sister Elizabeth Davis, offers us a beautiful and powerful essay on the heroes and heroines of Advent—on the great and inspiring biblical figures who accompany and challenge us as we prepare to mark Christ’s birth. The Synod of Bishops on the Word of God (held in Rome in October) has yielded a wide range of recommendations, which have been submitted to Pope Benedict. Father Bill Cliff, the Anglican chaplain to the University of Western Ontario (London) shares with us some of his experiences of doing Bible study with university students. I offer a few thoughts on St. Paul’s famous “Hymn to Love” in First Corinthians 13, and Joseph Martinelli shares with us something of the special connection between St. Paul and the Christians of Malta. Of course, we also offer some Advent and Christmas materials to accompany and inspire your prayer as we rejoice in the human birth of God’s Son.
As Christians, we do not deny the difficulties, the pain and the darkness that are, unfortunately, part of our reality. But we cling to the knowledge that, because of Christmas, ours is a God-touched world—that God’s Son is one of us, and continues to guide us toward the Kingdom, if we will calm our busy hearts and minds and listen to the Christmas message. It is, as Phillips Brooks so beautifully summarizes it, a message that empowers us to begin 2009 with hope, conviction and hearts full of love. May God bless you, your families and friends in this holy time—thank you all for your support of the CBAC and its vital apostolate in the Church!
“The feet of the humblest may walk in the field where the feet of the Holiest trod; this, then, is the marvel to mortals revealed—when the silvery trumpets of Christmas have pealed—that we are the children of God.” (Phillips Brooks)
