FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT – 23^rd /24^th DECEMBER 2023

Dear Parishioners,

For the past four weeks, we have been listening to all the prophets God sent to help us prepare for the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. His coming into our world is so crucially important for our realization of our true identity and our freedom as true children of God. Sin has always been our colonial master that denies us our true identity as children of God. The sin committed by our first parents Adam and Eve introduced unimaginable chaos and disaster into the whole cosmos. Not only that, death became the price we to pay as a result of our sins. Death is not just people closing their eyes in death but the process of going through total separation from God who is the source and summit of our existence.

God has not forgotten that he created us in his own image and likeness hence, at the appointed time, he sent his Son born of a woman to come and redeem the subjects of the law (Galatians 4:4). St Luke describes how the Lord found a humble home in a little town of Nazareth in Galilee in the womb of Mary. In Mary’s encounter with the angel, we see Mary’s example of faith and obedience to God. Upon receiving this message even without knowing how this would come about, Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you say happen to me as you have said it (Luke 1:38).

We are happy today as we celebrate this Christmas, because the one who is to help us fight and defeat our greatest enemy which is sin is born. We are happy because he will continue to walk the walk the walk of life with us as our regular companion (Matthew 28:20). Life indeed is going to be worth living since the one who is the way to life, the truth about life and Life itself is with us (Emmanuel). 

As we celebrate this Christmas, let us pray for the grace to have the audacity to go about sharing this great joy of Christmas with our friends and our neighbours since true freedom is found only in the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the season of great news from God.

Merry Christmas my good brothers and sister in the Lord.

Fr Vincent Nnatuanya, CSSp