Christmas Message: Father Adam Sowa, MS Parish Priest of St. Peter and All Souls RC, Peterborough

This moves us deeply, for great is the tenderness of our heavenly Father. The first people to see the humble glory of the Saviour, after Mary and Joseph, were the shepherds of Bethlehem. They recognized the sign proclaimed to them by the angels and adored the Child.

Those humble and watchful men are an example for believers of every age who, before the mystery of Jesus, are not scandalised by his poverty. Rather, like Mary, his Mother, they trust in God’s word and contemplate his glory with simple eyes. Before the mystery of the Word made flesh, Christians in every place confess with the words of the Evangelist John: “We have beheld his glory, glory of the only-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1, 14).

Today, as the winds of many uncertainties are blowing in our world and an outdated model of development continues to produce human decline; Christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the Child and to recognise him in the faces of many brothers and sisters, our little children, especially those for whom, like Jesus, “there is no place at the inn.”; (Luke 2,7).

May you have lovely Christmas Celebrations in your parish communities, in your families and in your own hearts. Many Blessings for this New Year 2019!”