December leads us to the joy of Christmas and the hope of a New Year. Hence 25 December is a precious day to all of us which heralds the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Savior of the World, The Redeemer of Mankind was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as foretold by the Prophets. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).
The world of business, trade and commerce looks forward to December to promote its products with an eye on profit, buying and selling. The world is already aglow with such attractive and scintillating products that the true message of Christmas is either diluted or overlooked, or even forgotten because commercialization of the event of the nativity of our Lord is not what the Magi from the East looked for, the shepherds went to see in the crib at Bethlehem, and the angels proclaimed to all men and women of good will.
The beautiful feast of Christmas is not just an historical event for fun and frolic. It invites us to celebrate the peace, love and hope given to all of us over flowingly by Him who has become our Emmanuel, i.e., God–with–us. Let us all go to the divine Babe of Bethlehem to hold Him, adore Him and worship Him so that His eternal gifts of Peace, Love, Joy and Hope will continue to remain with us on this planet, our earthly home, which we need to protect, preserve and share, and march forward with all men and women of good will to our eternal home to live with Him forever.
MERRY CHRISTMAS 2018 AND A JOY-FILLED NEW YEAR 2019!
XGerald Isaac Lobo
Bishop of Udupi