2022 has been a difficult challenging year for us all. Floods, displacement, loss of property, and the fear of another flood have so occupied us that, at times, we lost the joy of life and the appreciation of each other.
The year is drawing to a close, Christmas and New Year are upon us. The Feast of Jesus’ birth and the festive season mark the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. Each year at Christmas, we celebrate a new beginning. Jesus is born as a little baby and in this carries the hopes of the human race.
For all eternity the heart of God has been crying out and longing for you and me. We are so often hard of heart and do not respond to God’s desire. At this time of the year as Advent disappears into Christmas our hearts begin to fill with hope and the desire for love and friendship. Our hearts begin to mirror the unbounded desire of God. Our emptiness longs to be filled. On Christmas day the heart of God the Father and our hearts meet. These hearts meet in the Child Jesus who carries the hopes of the world.
Let us gaze on the Child, in whom God and humans are united. He is our hope, our future and our life.
With my Christmas prayers and wishes,
Bishop Greg Homeming OCD