Bishop shares joy of God’s love

Sharing the joy of God’s love


My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Each year the celebration of Christmas resounds with the glad tidings of great joy that brought awe,
wonder and peace to the shepherds at Bethlehem. Each of us has treasured family traditions that
surround and support our celebration of Christ’s birth - a family gathering after Mass, delivering
dinners, trimming trees, displaying crèches, exchanging gifts or visiting friends.
                                For many months, COVID precautions have disrupted, curtailed or postponed the traditions and practices
of everyday life. We long for a return to normalcy. As we edge closer to normalcy, reports of COVID variants,
breakthrough infections and rising hospitalizations can give us the jitters and make us skittish.
                                But even as we heed prudent precautions, that skittishness and those jitters should not shake us. We should not be shaken because the essence of Christmas, the source of our joy and the cause of our awe, wonder and peace remain the same - God so loved the world that He sent His Son to take on human flesh, to become one of us so that we might become children of God and share forever in His love. Because of that, no virus, no variant, not even death itself will keep the faithful from sharing the joy of God’s love both here amidst earth’s uncertainties or forever in Heaven where no threat, shadow or separation will vex us.
                                While the essence of Christmas remains the same, its message never becomes static or grows stale. When our prayer life deepens, our sacramental life is sustained, our holiness grows and we gain an ever more profound awareness of God’s closeness to us and His love for us. That realization is grace, God Himself with us, Emmanuel dwelling in our souls. That grace frees us from fear, allows us to persevere with prudence and fills us with confidence and peace to face and overcome every challenge.
                                In the new year may our weekly communal worship at Mass continue to inspire us with the Word of God and nourish us in the Eucharist that we may grow ever more confident in our conviction and joy that the Savior born to us at Bethlehem remains with us now and forever.
                                With every prayerful best wish for a Blessed and Merry Christmas, I remain
                                                                                                           
                                                                        Sincerely yours in Christ,


                                                                        Most Reverend Robert J. McManus
                                                                        Bishop of Worcester




Artwork : Emily Shapeero's Christmas art is seen at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Dec. 3, 2021. The Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., eighth-grade student's work was one of two grand prize winners in the annual Christmas artwork contest sponsored by the Missionary Childhood Association, which is one of four Pontifical Mission Societies. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)