Christmas Greetings from Pastor Hector

Transcript

Greetings to you, my dear siblings in Christ. It’s a joy to be with you. We have come to the end of this season in Advent, a season when we have been reflecting on what it means to wait and to be expectant in a time when there is also some disorientation and maybe fear.

During the past four weeks, we have been thinking together as a congregation what it means not to be afraid, especially when we remember the words that we heard, that we read in the Scripture, and that we heard by the shepherds, by the angels, by saying, “Do not be afraid.”

For see, I bring to you good news for all people.

This week the Catholic Church—and by that I mean the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ of all time—in some places gathers together to remember the radical love of God, a God who is manifested God’s self by coming in Jesus to be one of us, one with us, one for us, and one in us.

At the same time as you and I walk in this world, we are here hearing this noise from the world that makes us believe sometimes that this season is just about joy and light and family, and we forget that there are many others who may experience it differently.

Perhaps being lonely, perhaps going through painful memories, perhaps experiencing isolation in the hustle and bustle of this season, of this loudness of a society that pushes us to believe that the true meaning of Christmas is a one-day emotional thing.

There is also a louder sound: the sound of the good news, the good news of the Lord Jesus, this good news that reminds us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Jesus.

A God who decided to be one with us.

So as we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, may you find the peace, the comfort, and the boldness to tell this story with encouraging words for those who are mourning or yearning to hear something that gives them strength to continue the journey—words of mercy and acts that reflect the reckless, never-ending love of God for you, for me, and for the entire world.

May this blessing of Christmas fill you, your family, and every person that you encounter, as you and I tell the world that Jesus Christ is born. Blessings to you and to your loved ones. Have a blessed Christmas, my siblings in Christ.