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When we began the Advent season, we entered a period of waiting for our commemoration of the coming of Our Lord. The coming of Christ had been long awaited, but no one expected his birth to be as it was - in a stable at Bethlehem.

In recent years like many Christians I have also been waiting. My waiting has involved waiting for society, or more accurately for certain institutions within society, to recognise the Christian foundation upon which our celebrations at this time of the year are built.

This year I have a sense of hope that the Christian message at the heart of Christmas is finally being heard. I am hopeful that the pinnacle of politically correct posturing in recent years has passed. I would hope that councils, Parliaments and other public bodies will no longer feel they have to contort their language to avoid mention of the word "Christmas". I am certain that there never was a real risk of alienating or marginalising those of other faiths, as was often claimed.

It was especially heartening to read the message from the Scottish President of the Muslim Association of Britain who said: "We'd like to take this opportunity to wish Christians all the best for the season ahead, and hope that they enjoy their festival as much as we enjoy ours. It therefore needs to be made clear that Muslims are not offended by the Christ part of Christmas. One of the most joyous features about all the major faiths are the festivals.

Such welcome words underline the true meaning of tolerance and respect. If members of other faiths can extend their good wishes to their Christian brothers and sisters as many have done recently, hoping that we have a peaceful and holy season, surely we must do the same to one another and to all people of goodwill.

As we await the arrival of our Saviour, I hope we can use the time to recognise the Christian foundation upon which our society is built and remind ourselves in the words of Pope Benedict XVI that Christ came to this world, "to be with us, to live among us, to live in and with us; to fill the distances that divide and separate us and to reconcile us with himself and with one another".

May the joy and peace of this holy season be with you all, and may God help us all to share the joys of Christmas in the year which lies ahead.

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"Christmas is a down to earth celebration. We celebrate a God who is not far off but one who is deeply involved in human life. Christmas is not about fairy tales and far-fetched beliefs. It is about the realities of human living and the acknowledgement that God is with us, even in the dark and dingy places.

"There are those who would hide the celebration of Christmas. Afraid of imagined dispute and conflict they want to have everyone celebrate 'Winterval' or 'Winterfest'. These are not people who have a genuine interest in equality. They are people who either want to enforce a kind of sameness or are afraid of religion. Genuinely religious people of all faiths are happy about celebrating Christmas, seeing it not as divisive but enriching the field of faith. As Christians we would not want to stop Jews celebrating Hanukkah, Muslims celebrating Eid or Hindus celebrating Diwali. Nor do people of other religions want to stop the celebration of Christmas.

"Over the centuries, Christianity has shown a remarkable ability to use existing festivals and imbue them with deeper meaning. The Church took over a Roman celebration to celebrate the birth of Christ in mid-winter, and in Britain we still use the pagan name for Easter. Now that some people want to go back and de-Christianise Christmas, to secularise it or re-institute pagan ceremonies, we ought to be more particular about making sure ours is a truly Christian celebration. We should resist attempts to trivialise an understanding that brings a deeper meaning than simply the rising of the sun in the winter sky once more.

"The Christmas message reminds us that Christianity is a world-affirming religion, not world-denying. In our Christmas story, God becomes human in a very ordinary way. The stories of Mary, the shepherds and the wise men may sound exceptional, but in their telling they emphasise how ordinary the event was. Mary's song, the Magnificat, reminds us that she was from a lowly family; there wasn't even a proper bed for Jesus when he was born; shepherding was among the lowest of occupations, yet the shepherds were the first to be given the news of the birth; the wise men thought Jesus would have been born in a palace, but even with all their wisdom, they got it wrong.

"The good news of Christmas is that the most ordinary of people are counted special in God's eyes and they have a special purpose. Well-being and good life do not depend on status or wealth or possessions. This means all of human life is valuable and the charitable acts so popular at Christmas are not just out of the kindness of people's hearts, but express the reality of how things are supposed to be. 'Winterval' and 'Winterfest' give rise to selfish indulgence. Christmas celebrates the good life for all."

Revd Graham Carter, President of The Methodist Conference

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On a hillside long ago, a small group of shepherds were eking out a simple existence. They lived hand to mouth. They were outcasts on the margins of society. They were content with their own company. No one trusted them and, in turn, they trusted no-one.

One night a new light burst into their lives. This was the light of Christmas.

Today many people still live in a darkness that restricts life: sickness, immobility, loneliness or addiction. This darkness constricts their God given dignity, reducing them to a shell of what they should be.

Even in this darkness we are celebrating Christmas. It seems to break down barriers between cultures and backgrounds. We are all saying to each other, 'Have a good Christmas!'

We see Christmas everywhere we go. There are street lights, posters, adverts, carol concerts and other special events to raise funds for those in
most need.

The light of Christmas pierces the darkness that dampens our spirit.

The light of Christmas enlightens the human person. On Christmas day the goodness that God has given to each of us is reclaimed. On this one-day we can glimpse, even if briefly, the loveliness and gentleness within every person.

The light of Christmas warms us. The unusually mild weather we are experiencing even has nature confused!The trees in the garden still have the dead leaves of autumn and the new green sprouts of spring. But this inner warmth softens our hearts towards one another.

The light of Christmas exposes us to the God of compassion. As the year draws to a close we may recall events of fun, laughter and happiness. We may also remember times of sadness and sorrow. We have recently been saddened by the Suffolk murders.

The celebration of Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In him we see again the beautiful love of God. The truth is that God loves us so much that he chose to be born in the stable in Bethlehem.

This love, which is a totally free gift, can set free our human spirit from everything that limits life. This feast shows us again just how almighty God really is. He is so powerful, so strong, so full of love for us that he can even become so small that he fits into a stable in Bethlehem!

It is my special prayer that you have a truly blessed Christmas. May the light of Christmas, the light of Jesus Christ, shine in your life always.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict urged the world on Sunday not to shut Christ out of Christmas and to banish prejudices hindering peace.

Speaking at his Sunday blessing the Pope returned to a theme that has preoccupied him -- the commercialisation of Christmas.

"May his birth not find us busy celebrating Christmas forgetting that he (Jesus) is the very person at the centre of the feast," he told thousands of pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square on Christmas Eve.
Ahead of the second Christmas of his pontificate he urged his listeners to remember the many people around the world who would pass it "in solitude, in sickness and in suffering".

The real spirit of Christmas was a commitment to "overcome prejudices, break down barriers and eliminate situations that pit individuals and people against each other in order to build a world of justice and peace together", the Pope said.

In recent weeks he has spoken out against the decision by some state schools in Italy not to build the traditional nativity scene for fear of offending non-Christians in a multi-racial population.

The Vatican's own larger-than-life nativity scene -- featuring figures of the baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, animals and three kings bearing gifts -- was unveiled in St. Peter's Square on Sunday evening.

The Pope looked on from his window and lit a candle symbolising the desire for peace in the world.

The Pope will celebrate midnight mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Christendom's largest church, for thousands of people. Large television screens have been put up in the square for those who do not find room inside.

On Monday he will deliver his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing to crowds in St. Peter's Square.

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"Salvator noster natus est in mundo" (Roman Missal)

"Our Saviour is born to the world!" During the night, in our Churches, we again heard this message that, notwithstanding the passage of the centuries, remains ever new. It is the heavenly message that tells us to fear not, for "a great joy" has come "to all the people" (Lk 1:10). It is a message of hope, for it tells us that, on that night over two thousand years ago, there "was born in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:11). The Angel of Christmas announced it then to the shepherds out on the hills of Bethlehem; today the Angel repeats it to us, to all who dwell in our world: "The Saviour is born; he is born for you! Come, come, let us adore him!".

But does a "Saviour" still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium? Is a "Saviour" still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe; for a humanity which knows no limits in its pursuit of nature's secrets and which has succeeded even in deciphering the marvellous codes of the human genome? Is a Saviour needed by a humanity which has invented interactive communication, which navigates in the virtual ocean of the internet and, thanks to the most advanced modern communications technologies, has now made the Earth, our great common home, a global village? This humanity of the twenty-first century appears as a sure and self-sufficient master of its own destiny, the avid proponent of uncontested triumphs.

So it would seem, yet this is not the case. People continue to die of hunger and thirst, disease and poverty, in this age of plenty and of unbridled consumerism. Some people remain enslaved, exploited and stripped of their dignity; others are victims of racial and religious hatred, hampered by intolerance and discrimination, and by political interference and physical or moral coercion with regard to the free profession of their faith. Others see their own bodies and those of their dear ones, particularly their children, maimed by weaponry, by terrorism and by all sorts of violence, at a time when everyone invokes and acclaims progress, solidarity and peace for all. And what of those who, bereft of hope, are forced to leave their homes and countries in order to find humane living conditions elsewhere? How can we help those who are misled by facile prophets of happiness, those who struggle with relationships and are incapable of accepting responsibility for their present and future, those who are trapped in the tunnel of loneliness and who often end up enslaved to alcohol or drugs? What are we to think of those who choose death in the belief that they are celebrating life?

How can we not hear, from the very depths of this humanity, at once joyful and anguished, a heart-rending cry for help? It is Christmas: today "the true light that enlightens every man" (Jn 1:9) came into the world. "The word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14), proclaims the Evangelist John. Today, this very day, Christ comes once more "unto his own", and to those who receive him he gives "the power to become children of God"; in a word, he offers them the opportunity to see God's glory and to share the joy of that Love which became incarnate for us in Bethlehem. Today "our Saviour is born to the world", for he knows that even today we need him. Despite humanity's many advances, man has always been the same: a freedom poised between good and evil, between life and death. It is there, in the very depths of his being, in what the Bible calls his "heart", that man always needs to be "saved". And, in this post-modern age, perhaps he needs a Saviour all the more, since the society in which he lives has become more complex and the threats to his personal and moral integrity have become more insidious. Who can defend him, if not the One who loves him to the point of sacrificing on the Cross his only-begotten Son as the Saviour of the world?

"Salvator noster": Christ is also the Saviour of men and women today. Who will make this message of hope resound, in a credible way, in every corner of the earth? Who will work to ensure the recognition, protection and promotion of the integral good of the human person as the condition for peace, respecting each man and every woman and their proper dignity? Who will help us to realize that with good will, reasonableness and moderation it is possible to avoid aggravating conflicts and instead to find fair solutions? With deep apprehension I think, on this festive day, of the Middle East, marked by so many grave crises and conflicts, and I express my hope that the way will be opened to a just and lasting peace, with respect for the inalienable rights of the peoples living there. I place in the hands of the divine Child of Bethlehem the indications of a resumption of dialogue between the Israelis and Palestinians, which we have witnessed in recent days, and the hope of further encouraging developments. I am confident that, after so many victims, destruction and uncertainty, a democratic Lebanon, open to others and in dialogue with different cultures and religions, will survive and progress. I appeal to all those who hold in their hands the fate of Iraq, that there will be an end to the brutal violence that has brought so much bloodshed to the country, and that every one of its inhabitants will be safe to lead a normal life. I pray to God that in Sri Lanka the parties in conflict will heed the desire of the people for a future of brotherhood and solidarity; that in Darfur and throughout Africa there will be an end to fratricidal conflicts, that the open wounds in that continent will quickly heal and that the steps being made towards reconciliation, democracy and development will be consolidated. May the Divine Child, the Prince of Peace, grant an end to the outbreaks of tension that make uncertain the future of other parts of the world, in Europe and in Latin America.

"Salvator noster": this is our hope; this is the message that the Church proclaims once again this Christmas day. With the Incarnation, as the Second Vatican Council stated, the Son of God has in some way united himself with each man and women (cf. "Gaudium et Spes," 22). The birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, as Pope Saint Leo the Great noted. In Bethlehem the Christian people was born, Christ's mystical body, in which each member is closely joined to the others in total solidarity. Our Saviour is born for all. We must proclaim this not only in words, but by our entire life, giving the world a witness of united, open communities where fraternity and forgiveness reign, along with acceptance and mutual service, truth, justice and love.

A community saved by Christ. This is the true nature of the Church, which draws her nourishment from his Word and his Eucharistic Body. Only by rediscovering the gift she has received can the Church bear witness to Christ the Saviour before all people. She does this with passionate enthusiasm, with full respect for all cultural and religious traditions; she does so joyfully, knowing that the One she proclaims takes away nothing that is authentically human, but instead brings it to fulfilment. In truth, Christ comes to destroy only evil, only sin; everything else, all the rest, he elevates and perfects. Christ does not save us from our humanity, but through it; he does not save us from the world, but came into the world, so that through him the world might be saved (cf. Jn 3:17).

Dear brothers and sisters, wherever you may be, may this message of joy and hope reach your ears: God became man in Jesus Christ, he was born of the Virgin Mary and today he is reborn in the Church. He brings to all the love of the Father in heaven. He is the Saviour of the world! Do not be afraid, open your hearts to him and receive him, so that his Kingdom of love and peace may become the common legacy of each man and woman. Happy Christmas!

[Translation of the Italian original distributed by the Holy See]

© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Derekap

Dec 26 2006, 11:41 AM

With all respect to the Pope and other leaders, I think Dr Sentamu's message is one of the best I've ever read.

Patrick

Dec 26 2006, 02:15 PM

Well, Derek, you have to remember that York City and Vatican City have totally different crime rates - why would the Pope talk of gun crime and gang warfare - the closest he's got is the Lavender Mafia... hardly gun-totin' hardened criminals!

Rose of York

Dec 26 2006, 04:31 PM

Patrick

Dec 26 2006, 02:15 PM

Well, Derek, you have to remember that York City and Vatican City have totally different crime rates - why would the Pope talk of gun crime and gang warfare - the closest he's got is the Lavender Mafia... hardly gun-totin' hardened criminals!

Patrick just how close do you think Doctor Sentamu gets to gun crime? Our beloved City of York is hardly the gun capital of the North.

Please read and digest, and search for the word "York"

Derekap

Dec 27 2006, 11:59 AM

(And Dr Sentamu is an African........)