Archbishop’s Christmas Message
Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. — Philippians 2:6
Dear brothers and sisters, we begin this Year of the Poor with the celebration of the Birth of the Lord in poverty that invites us to be detached from things of this world. Waking us up to recognize how much we need God for healing and enrichment, and challenging us to be generous like God towards the poor.
We recognize the poor in their different faces. As A.M. Henry would identify them, they are the disadvantaged, those who have nothing; those who lack food, clothing, a home, facilities, comfort, money. They are the unfortunate and accident victims, the victims if the economical crisis or of massive unemployment.
They are the isolated who have no relationship with other people or those whose relationship has been broken, e.g. the divorced, they are those who have no future; those who have no control over their tomorrows and those who cannot foresee how the future will be for them, e.g. prisoners, the unemployed, workers who are hired on a day to day basis or who have only seasonal work.
They are the unwell; those who have poor health; the sick, the disabled, the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, the amputees, the mentally ill, etc. They are the ignorant, the incompetent, the inexperienced; those who have little culture, little knowledge, little learning, little education, little training. They are the unloved, those who lack affection, all those who do not receive a minimum of recognition or who have no ties of love.
They are those who hide or hate themselves; those who are difficult to live with; those who have an imbedded vice or a personality disorder, those who lack willpower or love.
Brothers and sisters, we may very well identify ourselves as one among the poor – for so we all are before God; Yet the grace of the Birth of Christ enriches us, so that, like him, we may also be able to give of ourselves to others: to feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to shelter the homeless; to visit the sick; to ransom the captive; to bury the dead; to instruct the ignorant; to counsel the doubtful; to admonish sinner; to bear wrongs patiently; to forgive offenses willingly; to comfort the afflicted; to pray for the living and the dead.
In so doing, we serve the Lord himself. By His birth he gave Himself to us all.
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and imparting to you my paternal blessing. –- Archbishop of Cebu Jose S. Palma
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