Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Some two thousand years ago a child was born in a stable in Bethlehem, an event that would change the course of human history like no other. The cruel, corrupt and sensual world of paganism was one where ‘might makes right’. The powerful asserted themselves at the expense of the weak. Within this world life was very cheap. Slavery and infanticide were accepted as facts of life. Spectators watched gladiators fight to the death for their entertainment. Emperors could save or take human lives at the movement of a thumb. In this world one’s worth as a human being was determined by one’s social status.

With the coming of the Christ-child God showed the true worth of the human person, even in the weakness of a newborn child. Lowly shepherds wept with joy, kings fell prostrate, angels chorused in exaltation before a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. This sentiment is beautifully captured in the hymn ‘O Holy Night’.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
 
Jesus Christ came into the world for one purpose: to redeem us. In his work of redemption wrought through his own degradation, Jesus Christ restored and unveiled the true dignity of man that had been disfigured and buried through the filth of sin and the agony of his fallen condition. As St Irenaeus (and indeed many of the Fathers of the early Church) put it: “God became man, that we might become ‘gods’”. With the incarnation Christ enters the world in poverty and weakness in order to overthrow the existing order (one that all too often tramples the powerless underfoot) and show us how precious every human being is in the sight of God. The worth of every human life is intrinsic and therefore not conditional upon our wealth, social status, personal accomplishments or whether society considers us ‘valuable’. From the unborn child in the womb, to the elderly in palliative care, to the disabled and cognitively impaired, every human being is of infinite value in the sight of God, because we each bear the stamp of our Divine Creator. Yet, tragically so many in the world today seem to have lost sight of their true worth, and wonder, ‘does God really care about me?’

At a time when God can seem very distant, in a nihilistic culture that denies that there is any meaning or purpose to life beyond the pleasures of this world, our celebration of the birth of Jesus is an important reminder of the nearness of our God who is Emmanuel, ‘God with Us’. Yes, God is with us through all the trials of life, and in spite of them we retain our inalienable human dignity, just as Christ’s dignity was unblemished by the messiness of his humble origins. The Christ-child of Bethlehem reminds us that God has a glorious plan for each of us, amid the chaos of life. We are each invited to draw near to the manger and behold the humility of our God. Putting aside all fear we come to receive the greatest gift God ever gave us – His own Son!

A final word of thanks to the all the many people who have been working so busily behind the scenes across the two parishes to offer a joyful and worthy celebration of the Birth of Christ this Christmas: to our sacristans (Gina Lim, Mary Dowling, Lia Biasuzzo, Molly Field and Christine Harsant); to our musicians (Baltazar Kurowski, Damien and Celia Callan), to the Hanleys (Celestine, Una, Martha) and Maddy Jarvis for their cleaning of both churches and miscellaneous assistance in 101 ways; to the choir at Lilydale who have put in so many hours of rehearsals throughout the year and in the lead up to Christmas; to the teams of altar servers under the direction of Ezekiel Hangan; to Clara de Iulio and Justin Prescott for donating the flowers; to the parish secretary, Stephanie Johnson, without whom I’d be lost! I’m especially grateful to Fr Matthew Baldwin who has been able to assist with the Christmas Masses.

Finally, I’ve been very touched by the many expressions of kindness and generosity shown to me by so many parishioners these past weeks – my heart-felt thanks! Wishing you all the joy, peace and grace of this Holy Season to you and your families, and blessings for the new year.

Fr Francis Denton