“Shower, O Heavens from above, and let the skies rain down the Righteous One” (Isaiah 45:8)
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
From year to year, the Birth of our Lord always brings with it an additional dimension of faith, hope and love. The birthday of this Divine Child is not a normal birthday celebration. The more that we celebrate it, the more that we delve deeper into the mystery that is our Lord. On the night of his birth he brought great joy into this world. A joy that even up till now we cannot fathom nor comprehend. Jesus brought light into this darkened earth because he is the light that the darkness could not overcome! Jesus came and he brought with him the love of his Father; a love whose splendor cannot be measured. How fortunate and blest was this earth to see, touch, smell and feel our Lord. With Isaiah on this day we cry out: “Shower, O Heavens from above, and let the skies rain down the Righteous One.”
As we ponder on the Divine Child with Mary, our eyes are filled with his purity and innocence. With Joseph, we anticipate the hope that he will bring to all nations. With the angels, we praise, glorify and honour him. With the Shepherds, we bring all our dreams and wishes to his humble manger. And with the three kings we bow down before his majesty and adore him. How beautiful is the Divine Child that has been sent from above? Through him hope has overcome despair, joy has overcome sorrow, life has overcome death and the light has truly overcome the darkness. Through the birth of Jesus our relationship with our heavenly Father has been restored because he is the bridge that has redeemed and saved us. Yes, he is the bridge because without him we have no path to heaven! For this, we have no reason to despair. We are the children of joy! At times, it may seem hard to feel this as we journey through this life, however let us always try to remember this during this festive season and always. We are the children of joy!
As we continue our journey we come to the end of another year. A year in which we have grown so much, learnt so much and loved so much. A year which has been filled with new and exciting paths, challenging paths. Jesus continues to unveil his will for us and we continue to grow in love with him. The more challenges he places in our lives, the more we keep coming back for more and more. The closer we get to him, the harder that we must work to reach him.
On behalf of my brother priests and subdeacons, I would like to wish each and every one of you a joyful Christmas that brings with it a great sense of hope for the coming year. Thank you to all our staff, committees and volunteers who work tirelessly day in and day out to ensure that our parish continues to radiate the light of the Divine Child. Thank you to all the businesses, community groups and government departments who continually support all the work that we do. And of course a special thanks to you, our parishioners, who if it wasn’t for you we would not exist. May the birth of our Lord be the Light that overcomes every darkened area in your lives.
Christ is born. Alleluia!
Father Tony Sarkis
Light
