Stories

By Monsignor Roger J. Landry

On this holy night, when the Church keeps vigil for the Nativity of the Lord, I want to wish you and your family the peace, joy, and grace that flow from the mystery of God made visible in the Child of Bethlehem. Christmas reveals that God’s response to the needs, questions, and longings of men and women, boys and girls is not an idea or a message, but a Person — Jesus the Word who becomes flesh and dwells among us.

As we prepare to approach the altar for Christmas Mass, we recognize that the same Jesus placed in the manger comes to us in the Eucharist: he just looks different (and now is raised from the dead!). God-with-us is, by his promise, still wondrously with us. Christmas teaches us not only who God is, but how near He desires to be — sharing our condition so that we may share His.

The Gospel we will hear tonight brings us into the humility of Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph welcome the Child with trust; shepherds hurry through the darkness to meet Him; and angels fill the sky with praise. Each response becomes a model for our own. Christmas calls us to welcome Christ with renewed faith, to draw near to Him to adore him with gratitude and joy, and to allow our lives to become a proclamation of His presence.

This night also reminds us that the first to receive the Good News were people living on the margins — shepherds who were poor, overlooked, and often dismissed. It is fitting that the Church, on this feast, turns her gaze toward those throughout the world who have welcomed Christ in places marked by material poverty, displacement, persecution, and hardship. In mission territories, the light of Bethlehem shines brightly through communities that gather in unembellished chapels, in fields, or in crowded houses, celebrating the astonishing truth that God has come near.

As National Director of The Pontifical Mission Societies, I have the privilege of hearing from missionaries who carry the “good news of great joy for all the peoples” into regions where the Church is young, poor or persecuted. Their witness embodies the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Their work brings the light of Christ where it has not yet been announced.

Tonight, please be assured of my prayers for you and your loved ones as I approach the altar and hold Jesus in my hands. I invite you to join me in praying for all who will welcome Christ in difficult or remote places, and for all who are still encountering the Gospel for the first time. May the light that shines on Bethlehem radiate in your home and in every place where Christ wants God’s highest glory and peace!