A
great joy that will be
for all people
Homily
of Cardinal
Justin Rigali
Midnight Mass
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
Christmas 2007
Dear Friends in our Lord Jesus Christ,
On this holy Christmas night we bend our knee in adoration before the
Child in the crib of Bethlehem. As we do so, we proclaim: Blessed be Jesus
Christ, true God and true man! It is so important for us to understand
the identity of this Child and to accept the message that His Birth brings
to the world.
Tonight we gather to listen once again to the angel’s proclamation
to the shepherds in Bethlehem when Jesus Christ was born: “Do not
be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will
be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been
born for you who is Christ and Lord.… You will find an infant wrapped
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
How uplifting and encouraging it is for us to hear these words at a time
when our world lives with anxiety and consternation!
After centuries of waiting and preparation on the part of the Chosen People,
God sent the Savior into the world to bring us peace, to take away our
sins, to teach us how to live in justice, harmony and love: in our families,
in our neighborhoods, in our parishes, in our whole society.
But who is this Savior, this Christ and Lord? Who is this Jesus born as
a little child in Bethlehem?
He is true God and true man. He is first of all the Son of the eternal
Father, divine like His Father in heaven. But He is also the Son of the
Virgin Mary, human like His Mother and like us. Mary is the one who conceived
the Child by the power of the Holy Spirit and carried Him in her womb.
She gave Him birth and nourished Him at her breasts. We see her represented
in the crib scene, with the Infant Jesus.
The Child is also the foster Son of Joseph the carpenter, the husband
of Mary. It is Joseph who will protect the Child and help bring Him up,
since this Child Jesus had no human father.
According to God’s plan, Jesus was conceived in an extraordinary
way by the power of the Holy Spirit. God is His Father. We call Him the
Splendor of the Father for He is the Second Person of the Most Blessed
Trinity. Before His birth He already existed as the eternal Word of God,
the eternal Son of God.
These then are the two most important truths about the person of Jesus
Christ. These are the two identifying characteristics of the Child: He
is true God, because He is the Son of God. He is true Man, because He
is the Son of Mary.
But the Child is one Person, and His name is Jesus, which means Savior.
He has, however, two natures: the nature of God — a divine nature;
and the nature of man — a human nature.
In every way He is like His Father, and in every way He is like His Mother.
And in every way He is like us, except sin.
Who then is the Child of Bethlehem? He is the Son of God and He is the
Son of the Virgin Mary. He is, therefore, the One who links divinity with
humanity. He is the Mediator between God and man. Because He is God, He
has the power to save us from our sins. Because He is human like us, He
has a human body, a human soul and a human heart with which to love us
and to die for us, in order to save us from our sins and to bring us peace.
How beautiful are the words of the prophet Isaiah: “A child is born
to us; a son is given to us; upon his shoulders dominion rests.”
Among His titles is “Prince of Peace.” Isaiah also tells us
that the Child who is born as Savior is the Light of the World. Let us
listen to Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
How wonderful is this light today in our world that has so much darkness!
In answer to our question: Who is this Child? this Christ? this Jesus
born in Bethlehem? the Church repeats: He is the Son of God. He is the
Son of Mary. He is the Light of the World. But He is even more: this Child
who is born to us, this Son who is given to us is the great defender of
humanity.
Jesus Christ, who is God and man and who was born in Bethlehem, is the
One who reveals to us the dignity of every person who shares humanity
with Him and with Him is destined to share eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the One who tells us that the humanity which He has assumed,
which he has embraced in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is a humanity worthy
of honor, respect and love.
And everyone who possesses that humanity possesses dignity, regardless
of race or ethnic background, regardless of sex, religion, culture or
degree of education. A human being is important not because of what he
or she has or does, but because of what he or she is. What is so important
is the fact that every man, woman and child shares humanity with the Son
of Mary, who is the Son of God.
Here we find the impact of Christmas on the world. Christmas means that
every human life is sacred, because God has embraced human life, Christ
has assumed it. Whatever wounds, weakens or destroys human life, and therefore
vilifies human dignity, challenges the primacy of God, a God who “was
born of the Virgin Mary and became man.” Tonight as we recite the
Creed of our Mass, the Church invites us to genuflect when we say those
words, in order to show that we accept the great reality of the Incarnation
of the Son of God, with all its consequences.
There is no way that we can accept to love and honor the humanity of Jesus
Christ the Savior and at the same time reject the humanity of those whom
He has loved and saved. We cannot love Jesus Christ and refuse to love
our fellow human beings, whom He loves.
Dearly beloved: this holy night of Christmas challenges us to renew our
faith in the Child of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Son
of Mary, the Light of the World and the defender of human dignity. We
are called to adore Him. But this holy night of Christmas also challenges
us to follow His teaching to love and serve one another, to honor the
dignity of every man, woman and child who shares humanity with the Son
of God.
In this Christmas Eucharist we receive the strength and grace to honor
the Child and, with Him, all those whom He loves, all those who share
humanity with Him, and with Him are destined for eternal life.
Dear friends: the angel’s message is for all of us and for the whole
world: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news
of great joy that will be for all the people. For today… a savior
has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.”
Truly you will find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the
manger. Above all, you will find Him hidden in the Eucharist and there
you must adore Him. But you will also find Him in every human person that
mirrors His glory, and there too you must love Him.
All of this, dear friends, is the message of Christmas. It is a message
of hope—the good news of great joy to be shared by all the people.
Amen.