Christmas

Christmas

Christmas is really a compound word of "Christ's Mass"

Christmas focuses both on the past--the coming of Jesus as an infant born into poverty in Bethlehem, and the future--the coming of Christ in glory to fulfill God's loving purposes for humanity. This past and future orientation is reflected in the readings appointed in the church for each Sunday of Christmas.

Christmas this year comes at a time of anxiety and hope. Many of us are struggling and are afraid for our future. It's not easy to hope when times are bad. Mary, as she waited for the birth of her child into an uncertain world, knew how to live with hope--to believe the promises of God. So now is a time when we celebrate, with Mary, the birth of new life into a world living in the shadows of death.