Christmas Message from Archbishop Patrick Pinder

Christmas Message 2020
by Archbishop Patrick C. Pinder, S.T.D., C.M.G.

Once again we come to celebrate the Feast and the Season of Christmas.  This is a very special time of year.  It is a time when we have festive gatherings with family and friends.  This is a time when we pause to hear the message of hope and happiness which is the essence of the Christmas Story.  That message as preserved for us in the Gospel of Luke says:

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom God's favor rests."  (Luke 2:14)

In grasping the meaning and significance of this message, we reach back in time to the Prophet Isaiah.  He assures us that:

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone."  (Isaiah 9:1)

This is certainly a message of hope.  There is nothing more inviting than a ray of light when we are lost in darkness.  There are few things more desirable than a source of brightness to offset our gloom.

The gloom which visits our lives from time to time can be unkind to hope.  This Christmas the pall of darkness and gloom is cast over our entire planet by the pandemic of Covid-19.  Globally, to date, over 77 million have been infected with the virus.  More than 1.7 million have died.  Locally, well over 7,000 have been infected and 164 have died.  The toll in human pain due to job loss, loss of income and loss of business though very real, is not easy to measure.  Every aspect of life from education to worship has been severely impacted.

Surely darkness has overshadowed us in a most unfamiliar way these past nine months.  Yet even so, the words of the Prophet Isaiah are intended for us.  "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.  Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone."

Globally, over 54 million persons have recovered from Covid-19.  Locally, over 6,000 have recovered.  There is now a vaccine which hopefully will be available locally in the coming months.


Surely, the words of the prophet breathe new life into our weary spirits.  His words are echoed with a greater fullness in the Gospel where it says:

"Today in the city of David a saviour has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord." 
(Luke 2:11)

This is the message of Christmas.  This joyful and hopeful message is the story of Emmanuel, God's presence in our midst.

This horizon of hope must not just be an idea.  It must be a guiding motivation in our lives.

The Christmas Story is a story about a family, the Holy Family.  So we do not merely think of family at this time of the year.  Rather we commit ourselves to good, strong, healthy family life.  After all, healthy family life is the basis of a healthy society.  This Christmas our family gatherings will be restricted but our family bonds must remain strong.

"Glory to God in the highest" is the song of the angels at the first Christmas and in our worship we sing that great song of praise throughout the year.  Surely this is a reminder that the spirit of hope and joy and generosity which we associate with Christmas should remain with us all year round.

I once heard it said, that when all the lights and decorations are safely put away for another year and all the carols have been sung, it is then that the work of Christmas begins.  That work is:

To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To visit the sick and imprisoned
To make peace where there is discord
To bring joy to every heart
To do all that we can to build our family, our community, our nation into a fellowship of caring, compassionate, concerned and committed persons.  The gift of hope and joy which defines this season will sustain us through the pandemic of Covid-19 and on to the brighter days ahead.

May the favor of God come to rest upon each of us this Christmas Day and remain with us always.

Merry Christmas!