www.therecord.com.au
15 DECEMBER 2022
Edition #413
ARCHBISHOP COSTELLOE 2022 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: GOD WANTS TO BE SO CLOSE TO US, THAT HE BECOMES ONE OF US
God wants to be so close to us, that he becomes one of us, sharing in everything that is ours as human beings, except sin of course, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has said.
Speaking in his 2022 Christmas Message, Archbishop Costelloe highlights that God in invites us to share in everything that is his. “This is why, in Matthew’s Gospel, the newborn child is given the name “Emmanuel”, a name which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23),” Archbishop Costelloe said. Archbishop Costelloe continued by saying that as we celebrate Christmas this year, he invites the Perth Catholic community to gaze with wonder on this helpless baby, lying in a manger. “Recognise in him the extraordinary
love God has for you. “Allow that love to be the foundation of your lives, a source of strength and hope in times of struggle and sorrow, and an inspiration for that reaching out to others with compassion and care which is the defining characteristic of life lived to the full, of life lived as a disciple of Jesus,” Archbishop Costelloe explained.
BISHOP MICHAEL MORRISSEY 2022 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: DO WE PONDER IN FAITH LIKE MARY AND JOSEPH IN HOW WE LIVE AND WORK?
In this season of Advent, we find there’s much to ponder about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, writes Broome Administrator and Geraldton Bishop Michael Morrissey. PHOTO: ACBC.
“As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart”. Travelling through the Australian bush often gives me a sense of God’s presence. It causes me to ponder about many things in life and in the world.
In a recent visit to the Catholic community of Christ the King, in Djarindjin Lombadina, I was shown human footprints encrusted in Pindan soil and, as I pondered them, I felt a deep sense of awe and wonder at how they were there before Jesus Christ was born and yet Jesus knew the person who created the footprint. ‘To Ponder’ means to think carefully about things. Not to hasten our decisions but take time to consider everything and understand more deeply. To reflect deeply. In this season, we find there’s much to ponder about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts around ‘Why did Mary, heavily pregnant, and Joseph, have to travel to Bethlehem at such a difficult time?’ or ‘Why did no one seem to
care about their situation and plight when they reached Bethlehem?’ Following the birth of Jesus, Mary may have pondered, why me? Why here? Why shepherds and kings? I am sure Joseph also had much to ponder about, with everything that was going on in the stable that night. ‘Why was this happening to them?’ Mary and Joseph’s deep faith would have guided their ponderings. To see with the eyes of faith and know, that even though they may not have understood everything, they trusted God in all that was taking place. They were not frightened by the mystery of God’s presence unfolding around them, nor of their visitors rejoicing in the birth of their son. Full Text available at
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