Merry Christmas to you all

(en Español)

	Bishop David Zubik

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Once again we are about to celebrate as Church the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. As we gather together around the Table of the Lord in our parish Churches and around the table of family and friends in our own homes, we will remember just how much God loves us by having sent His Son to become like us in all things but sin.

Christmas
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Over the millennia since Jesus was born in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, the powerful scene of His birth has been captured in word and verse and in every art medium possible.

My favorite crèche scene is one which I purchased some years ago in an art shop in Lewes, Del. The figures are made entirely of wax and are quite untraditional. The figure of Joseph and Mary depicts Mary resting on a bale of hay as Joseph sits at her feet, both adoring the newborn Christ child. Sheep abound while some shepherds stand in awe of the newborn infant and still others are bewildered about what to make of this great event.

But without a doubt, my favorite figures in this crèche scene are the much defamed innkeeper and his wife. I marvel at the meditation of the artist who placed these two otherwise ignored characters into this particular scene. The innkeeper and his wife are standing over the child Jesus, the innkeeper holding a lantern to shed light on the newborn King and the innkeeper's wife looking for some way to give support to Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

As I reflected on these two figures in my prayer, I began to think about how central they really are to our meditation of the Christmas Story. After all, the reason why Jesus did in fact come to earth and take on our flesh and let our blood flow through His veins is that we might know God's mercy and compassion and forgiveness.

In a certain way, you and I, each and all of us, should most clearly be able to identify with the innkeeper and his wife. As the Christmas Story tells us, albeit so briefly, the innkeeper clearly told Mary and Joseph there was "no room for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7). Their proposed presence in the manger well lets us know that they realized their mistake, they owned their mistake, and they came to the infant Jesus recognizing in Him their hope, their forgiveness.

Like the innkeeper and his wife, I must admit and do so every time I go to confession, that there are times when I do not provide an adequate place for Jesus in my own heart. Sometimes my heart can be laced with resentment or anger or jealousy or rash judgments - all of which crowd out the space for Jesus. I suspect that most of you are able to identify with this confession.

Yet Christmas reminds us that with the birth of our Savior there is hope and forgiveness for us all. No matter how it is that we have sinned; no matter how unloving our words; or how selfish our deeds, like the innkeeper and his wife when we own what we have done wrong and are sorry, we can come to Christ with the assurance that we will be forgiven.

As you and I gather around the Lord's table in our Churches at Christmas, whenever we gather around the table of family and friends in our homes, we can truly rejoice in the hope that what Jesus did in the little town of Bethlehem was to begin an endless true story of forgiveness for us all.

As a people of hope, we can with full-heart and full-voice sing as did the angels: "Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth" (Lk 2:14). Not only can we in fact sing a hymn of peace which the angels sang at that first Christmas, we can in fact share the peace of Christ as a people who are forgiven.

At this Christmas, in the imminent New Year of 2006, and throughout every day of your lives, may you know the peace of Christ which the world can neither give nor ever take away.

Grateful for our belief that "Nothing is Impossible with God," I am

Your brother in Christ,

[signed]

Most Reverend David A. Zubik,
Bishop of Green Bay