My sincere thanks to you for your Christmas offering details of which we would hope to publish soon. Many of you sent very beautiful and thoughtfully chosen Christmas cards, and gave gifts of wine, biscuits, chocolates and cakes, such tokens of your kindness are very much appreciated.  On behalf of the parish, may I also take this opportunity to thank all those who help in the running of different areas of parish life, the sacristans, bookkeeper, altar servers, the church cleaners, the flower arrangers, special ministers of Holy Communion, readers, money counters, the gift aid organiser, those who attend to the church and hall grounds and those who have taken care of odd jobs here and there. Thanks also to rota organisers, choir and musicians, hymn choosers and catechist. Thanks to Mel, who for so many years has kept the hall clean and tidy and to Maria, who has taken so readily to the role of parish secretary. Lastly, apologies to anyone I have overlooked or missed out, as doubtless I will have, and so, a special thanks to you! Once again, my thanks to all of you, for your kindness and generosity with the Christmas offering. (Fr. Ian)

Dear brothers and sisters, “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, for our Savior has been born in the world. Today, true peace has come down to us from heaven” (Entrance Antiphon, Christmas Mass during the Night). Thus sings the liturgy on Christmas night, and the announcement of Bethlehem resounds in the Church: the Child born of the Virgin Mary is Christ the Lord, sent by the Father to save us from sin and death. Indeed, he is our peace; he has conquered hatred and enmity through God’s merciful love. For this reason, “the Lord’s birth is the birth of peace” (Saint Leo the Great, Sermon 26). Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room for him in the inn. As soon as he was born, his mother Mary “wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (cf. Lk 2:7). The Son of God, through whom all things were created, was not welcomed, and a poor manger for animals was his crib. The eternal Word of the Father whom the heavens cannot contain chose to come into the world in this way. Out of love, he wanted to be born of a woman and so share our humanity; out of love, he accepted poverty and rejection, identifying himself with those who are discarded and excluded…………… Jesus Christ is our peace first of all because he frees us from sin, and also because he shows us the way to overcome conflicts — all conflicts, whether interpersonal or international. Without a heart freed from sin, a heart that has been forgiven, we cannot be men and women of peace or builders of peace. This is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and died on the cross: to free us from sin. He is the Savior. With his grace, we can and must each do our part to reject hatred, violence and opposition, and to practice dialogue, peace and reconciliation. On this day of celebration, I wish to send a warm and fatherly greeting to all Christians, especially those living in the Middle East, whom I recently visited on my first Apostolic Journey. I listened to them as they expressed their fears and know well their sense of powerlessness before the power dynamics that overwhelm them. The Child born today in Bethlehem is the same Jesus who says: “In me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).  From God let us ask for justice, peace and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Syria, trusting in these divine words: “The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever” (Is 32:17). Let us entrust the entire European continent to the Prince of Peace, asking him to continue to inspire a spirit of community and cooperation, in fidelity to its Christian roots and history, and in solidarity with – and acceptance of – those in need. Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine: may the clamour of weapons cease, and may the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue.