By Bishop James P. Lyke, OFM

"In the 5199th year of the creation of the world, from the time when God in the beginning made out of nothing the heavens and the earth; in the 194th Olympiad; the 752nd year from the foundation of the city of Rome; the 42nd year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, all the earth being at peace, in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by his most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Ghost and nine months having passed since His conception, was born in Bethlehem of Juda of the Virgin Mary, being made man. The birthday of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh."

My dear friends, with these words, the earliest fathers of the Church announced every year, the celebration of the anniversary of God's birth in the world. Today, I greet you with the same proclamation, in union with our Holy Father Pope John Paul II and all the Bishops, and in joyful celebration of the coming of the Messiah.

Even though Christmas is an event particular to one specific world faith, I believe that many aspects of our seasonal joy can be shared by all men and women, regardless of denomination or personal belief. The many wonderful events of Christmas can only draw into further harmony all people of good will.

My late colleague, Bishop Sheen, said of the events of Christmas, "The simple shepherds heard the voice of an angel and found their Lamb; the wise men saw the light of a star, and found their Wisdom."

Likewise, I pray this season that all people may find new birth in the Lord, and in doing so, find new life. I pray for the rich, who are most able to share the spirit of Christmas, that they may find abundant opportunities to take their bounty into the midst of the suffering and poor of Atlanta. I pray for the poor, whose privations are even more sharply felt during this season of gift-sharing. I pray for the bereft, who learn that sorrow and joy can come at the same time, even as Mary, the mother of Jesus, experienced the joy of Jesus' birth in the poverty and coldness of a stable. I pray for all men and women and children, that the miracle of love by which the divine became human, will fill our hearts with the same unbiased and boundless love.

At this time of year, we feel a special emphasis on family life. Not only family life as made by blood ties and marriage, but family life as made new in the Birth of Christ, a family life that stretches to meet the needs of the lonely, as well as the good friends, the best friends, the people we like to have around. It is not that we ignore these people during the rest of the year, but at Christmas, the act of sharing, of gift-giving, takes on special meaning, as we rush here and there, trying to find that special gift, the gift that speaks beyond its material value, the gift that speaks of our love. By these acts of generosity, we become friends again, brothers and sisters in the Lord. By our example, we teach the young a valuable lesson about human beings getting along. In this ultra-modern and possession-conscious society, we must remind one another, and those in our charge, that giving is infinitely more rewarding than receiving. In the greater global context, we also acknowledge that none of humanity's ills can be solved by taking, but only by sharing.

We must also remember, even as we gather with our loved ones, that many of the problems faced in our urban culture spring from the fact that family life in this country has undergone considerable setbacks in recent times. The disintegration of family life inevitably leaves some people isolated and abandoned. The homeless, the addicted, the old and forsaken are around us everywhere, from one end of the metropolitan area to the other. We cannot ignore the needs of anyone, for in Christ the entire human family has become our family.

It has been my happy experience since coming to Atlanta to recognize and praise the efforts of the community and of civic groups for their tireless philanthropic endeavors and successes. But none can afford to rest very long on the laurels of what has been accomplished. There is always a hungry soul somewhere nearby, who needs only the helping hand of a generous person to return to the road traveled by those of us blessed with family and friends, and a sufficiency of material goods.

The birth of Christ brought together at a poor stable rich and wise kings as well as poor shepherds. God lost no time, but from the moment of His birth into the world, proclaimed the extension of the human family, the oneness of the human community, and His intention that peace be the gift given to all peoples. In our homes, and in the works of mercy we essay during this holy season, the longing for peace and peace itself is our first gift.

Another aspect of the Yuletide which I would share with you is the beautiful and pure innocence of the Christ Child, who comes not so as to shake the world at the presence of majesty, but quietly, no one knowing it. As Dr. E. T. Sullivan tells it, "When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, He goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn't stir up His earthquakes or send forth His thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother's heart and she puts it into the baby's mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies."

God Visited His people in the form of a baby, helpless and yet strong in the freshness of new creation. This was a being whom one could only love; this was the Child of God entrusted to the care of human parents, experts in tender, loving care. This season, no matter what the particular events that come our way, I pray that we all might treat others with this same tender and loving care, the care of mothers and fathers. So many things can get in the way of our caring for the people we love: political disagreements, personality clashes, family fights -- all the frailties of human behavior sometimes exhibit themselves most inopportunely at these festive times. This year, may we seek only to heal, to repair and to mend one another's woes, just as gladly and as generously as we share one another's joys.

As we await Christmas, during this season of advent, we must recall to mind, again and again, the central and historical event which gives this time of year its special power to gladden the hearts of all, namely, the birth of the Messiah, Christ the Lord of all. The goodness we feel is a pale reflection of the goodness in God's heart who sends us once again, His tiny Child, the infant Jesus, the Savior of the world.

The promise of this Messiah comforted the exile of our first parents; it encouraged the old man Abraham to leave his home, and become the father of a Chosen People; it fortified David and Solomon, and emboldened the prophets who rejoiced in the expectation of salvation. How great is our joy, then, to live in the light of the Promise Kept, and to sing with angels, "Glory to God on High, and peace to His people on Earth."

"The letter of a friend," says St. Peter Chrysologus, "is comforting, but his presence is much more welcome; a bond is useful, but the payment more so; blossoms are pleasing, but only till the fruit appears. The ancient fathers received God's letters, we enjoy His presence; they had the promise, we the accomplishment; they the bond, we the payment."

In return for all this, God asks but one thing. He asks that we love -- that we love Him, for His own sake, and that we love all our brothers and sisters for the sake of the child He sent, Jesus Christ, Our Savior.

My sisters and brothers, I cannot bring this letter to a close without begging your prayers for world peace. In every land, the terrible forces of violence are poised, at odds with the message of peace that the Christ Child brings. No matter the outcome of the present tensions, innocent people have suffered and continue to suffer, whether here in the United States, or in all the other nations involved. Let us especially pray in the coming weeks for our men and women in the Armed Forces and for their families. To be separated at this season from home and kin is a sore trial for anyone. We ask God to watch over us all, and to bring our world leaders to the table of dialogue in imitation of the great dialogue that occurred when the Word became flesh.

Finally, as the Christmas season passes into the New Year, I hope that we all might carry the spirit of generosity and of faithful love into all our actions in the coming year, without looking back to blame the past; and without hesitating to welcome the future.

Sincerely Yours in Christ

Most Rev. James P. Lyke, OFM, Ph.D.

Apostolic Administrator, sede vacante