Following is the Christmas message issued by Raymond Poisson, Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Laurier, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Dear brothers and sisters,
In union with all my brother bishops of Canada, I wish to offer you our best wishes for peace, joy, and health.
For Catholics, Christmas offers the opportunity to remember how a Child came among us to save the world: Jesus, a newborn child, is God himself who becomes one of us in order to associate us directly with the project. of the Kingdom to be built. Through our baptismal call making us beloved children of God our Father, we are all committed to this ongoing mission of making our world more beautiful, more just, and more fraternal. The newborn Child Jesus saves the world: “hope has shone! The Savior of the earth was born, it is to us that God gave him ”, we traditionally sing (“ Holy Night ”Franz Xavier Gruber, 1846).
Yes, the Child Jesus becomes our savior and it is to us that he is given! Oh how much he needs to be saved this world! How many children in the arid lands of East Africa suffer from thirst and hunger? In the migrant camps, how many children hope for a home and an education? How many children in our families suffer from indirect violence? How many children are worried and mobilized for the state of our common home on earth? And in Canada, we continue to learn about the history of residential schools and the intergenerational suffering experienced by Indigenous peoples. Finally, there are a host of challenges families face right now, with their children growing up in a world engaged in the fight against the pandemic.
Let us be faithful to the mission entrusted to us by the Savior. Let’s dare to question and commit to each other. Especially for the little ones among us, let us strive to be craftsmen of a world that is renewing itself. As Catholics, our first responsibility is undoubtedly to bear witness to the joyful hope that the light of Christ gives birth to. Merry Christmas! Good year! Happy mission in joy!
+ Raymond Poisson
Bishop of Saint-Jérôme and Mont-Laurier
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
