Diocesan News
Joint Christmas Message 2006 from the Bishops of Kilmore
For most of us this Christmas will be like any other Christmas in that it will be a time of celebration joy and happiness. The presents will be given and received. The decorations will be in place both inside and outside the house. The Christmas tree will be lit up and laden. The turkey and ham will be prepared carefully. The table will be laid tastefully. The crackers will be pulled cheerfully. The children will awaken early and very excitedly. The stockings will be emptied happily. The season will be enjoyed fully. It is not surprising that so many people look forward to Christmas, not least the young children. It is a time of the year which is to enjoyed but it is also a time of the year to reflect on the realities of Christmas.
Christmas Realities
For some, Christmas is the season of fantasy marked by reckless indulgence, frightening extravagance and thoughtless selfishness. However the reality is that for many people this is not their experience of Christmas.
The Poor?it is easy to forget that millions do not have the worry of bank charges for they do not have money in the bank. They don?t have money anywhere! Credit cards do not feature in their lives. Their possessions are the rags they wear. They are caught in the so called poverty trap and they are stuck. Many are the victims of exploitation and injustice. Their need is linked to others greed.
The Homeless?for the homeless in Ireland who sleep outside their bed is a doorway, their pillow is their elbow, their Christmas decorations are the street lights, their garden is the pavement, their Christmas dinner is whatever they can beg find or scrounge. The Celtic tiger has passed them by and they know nothing of boom but plenty about bust.
The Hungry? millions still suffer the pains of hunger, the despair of having nothing to eat, the nightmare of drought, the frustration of poverty. Emaciated bodies and protruding ribs are the all too common familiar sights.
The First Christmas
The first Christmas was about the birth of a baby and it was about selfless generous extravagant love. It was about amazing grace and wonderful peace. It was about genuine joy and in whom it can be found. Christmas is primarily about reality, not fantasy. It is all about Jesus, Immanuel and a God who is with us. It is about Someone who always thinks of others because He is Love. God became man and lived among us. During His ministry Christ knew what it was to be hungry, homeless and poor.
This Christmas remember the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the hurting, the bereaved, the lonely, the sick, the suffering, those who are away from home, and those who serve in the armed forces and in the caring professions. Christmas is a time for rejoicing but not forgetting. It is about receiving but it is much more about giving. Most of all it is a time for saying Thank You to God for His indescribable gift, Jesus Christ.
?O come let us adore Him, Christ The Lord!?
Christmas Greetings
We wish all in our Diocese a very happy and joyful Christmas! We wish all from our Diocese who are in other parts of the world a very happy and joyful Christmas. We warmly welcome to the Diocese all who have come here from other parts of the world since Christmas last year. May your first Christmas in Ireland be a blessed one.
Bishop Leo O Reilly and Bishop Ken Clarke, Bishops of Kilmore
For further information please contact the Diocesan Communications Officer, Revd Arthur Barrett, Tel: +353 (0)71 916 5368