Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This period of the Nativity Fast, the liturgical time which prepares us for Christmas, invites us to lift our gaze and open our hearts to welcome Jesus as we celebrate His birth in the flesh on Christmas Day. During these weeks of preparation we do not just live in anticipation of Christmas: we are also called to rekindle the anticipation of the glorious return of Christ — when he will return at the end of time — preparing ourselves, with consistent and courageous choices, for the final encounter with him. We remember Christmas, we await the glorious return of Christ, and also our personal encounter: the day in which the Lord will call us to Himself.

During these special grace-filled weeks of preparation, we are called to leave behind an automatic and routine way of life and to go forth into that which is new, nourishing hope and nourishing dreams for a new future. We are called to be mindful and to pray: this is how to live the time between now and Christmas. To be mindful and to prayerful is the attitude with which we should approach every day. Unfortunately, during this “holiday season,” we are often weighed down by an inner lethargy comes from always focusing upon ourselves and being distracted by our own life, with its problems, its joy, and suffering, but always turning around ourselves.  And this is wearying; this is dull, this closes us off to hope. Here lies the root of spiritual lethargy and laziness. The Nativity Fast invites us to a commitment to attentiveness, to look beyond ourselves, expanding our mind and heart in order to open ourselves up to the needs of our brothers and sisters who find themselves in so many types of need. This is a favorable time to open our hearts, to ask ourselves concrete questions about how and for whom we reach beyond ourselves and focus our lives.

The second attitude to have in order to best experience this time of awaiting the Lord is that of prayer. “Look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near,” the Gospel of Luke cautions (Luke 21:28). This special time is about standing up and praying, turning our thoughts and our hearts to Jesus who is about to come. One stands when awaiting something or someone. We await Jesus and we wish to await him in prayer which is closely linked to vigilance. Praying, waiting upon Jesus, opening oneself to others, being mindful, not withdrawn in ourselves. But if we think of Christmas in the light of consumerism, of seeing what I can buy in order to do this and that, if we think of Christmas as a worldly celebration, Jesus will pass by and we will not find him.

In the Scriptures, the voices of the prophets are especially revealing to us. The Prophet Jeremiah speaks to the people who had been harshly tried by exile and who risked losing their very identity. We Christians too, who are also the People of God, run the risk of becoming worldly and of losing our identity, indeed of ‘paganizing’ or secularizing the Christian way of life. Therefore, we need the Word of God through which the prophet proclaims: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made ... I will cause a righteous branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14-15). And that righteous branch is Jesus. It is Jesus who comes and whom we await. May the Virgin Mary, who leads us to Jesus, who is our example of hopeful expectation and prayer, help us to strengthen our hope in the promises of her Son Jesus, in order to enable us to understand that through the ups and downs of history, God always remains steadfast and uses even our own human weakness to manifest his mercy.

As we recall the great mystery of Christ’s birth in the flesh and hear the Gospel stories of Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem, of the Star, Shepherds, and Angels, let us join the Heavenly Host in singing glories to God, let us imitate the Shepherds who go to Bethlehem to see the promised sign, that newborn child lying in a manger.  Let us imitate the Wise Men on their journey, seeking our only true goal: Jesus Christ and life lived in Him.

As we celebrate the Lord’s Nativity and as we enter the New Year, be assured of my prayers and best wishes for you, your families and friends, and all your dear ones.

With love in the Newborn Savior,

+Bishop Daniel