BE NOT AFRAID
His Eminence The Lord Cardinal
George Pell
Archbishop of
Sydney
Cardinal
Priest of Santa Maria Domenica Mazzarello
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2012
His Eminence The Lord Cardinal George Pell
"Like every
other priest and bishop I bring Christ's message of peace and goodness once
again this Christmas. Where there is evil, there is less peace, sometimes
no peace.
My heart, the hearts of all believers, of all people of good
will go out to all those who cannot find peace at this time, especially those
who have suffered at the hands of fellow Christians; Christian officials,
priests, religious, teachers.
I am deeply sorry this has happened. It is completely
contrary to Christ's teachings and I feel too the shock and shame across the
community at these revelations of wrong doing and crimes.
We need our faith in God's goodness and love to cope with these
disasters, to help those who have been hurt. We need the hope that comes
to us from Christ's birth with his call to conversion, to sorrow for sins and
the necessity of reparation.
St. Francis of Assisi was an Italian who died in 1226, perhaps
the most remarkable follower of Christ in 2000 years. One of his most
important contributions was the invention of the Christmas crib, which changed
the way we look at God and life.
Mary's son Jesus was not born as a prince, not even in a good
middle class home, but in a cave used as a stable at the back of a small
residence. Tradition, not the Scriptures, placed an ox and an ass there,
but a stable remains a place for animals even when it has been cleaned up.
Francis gave us a greeting which is still used today "peace
and goodness"; pax et bonum. These two qualities are linked together
inescapably, and best found by following the baby in the stable who grew up to
be crucified and rise again.
Christianity is offered to everyone in every age and culture,
especially those who are suffering and disadvantaged among us today.
We now know much more about the immensity and age of the
universe (13.7 billion years) and, at the other end of things, we understand
better how the brain works. This knowledge has also reminded us of how
much we do not know, of the oceans of mystery which remain undiscovered.
Christ's message comes at a different level. We do not
simply follow the beautiful ideals and abstractions of knowledge and truth,
beauty, motherhood. The great truths are simple, open to all, rooted in
history, in time and place. We all recognize peace and goodness and St.
Francis told us these are linked together and found in a vulnerable powerless
baby, whose birth triggered Herod's slaughter of the innocent baby boys around
Bethlehem.
The light of Christ shines through this darkness, brings us
peace and calls us to goodness and love. It offers strength and healing
to every person who suffers. We should never forget this, especially at
Christmas.
The ancient hymn is right about Bethlehem.
"Above thy deep and dreamless sleep,
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy darkness shineth,
The everlasting Light.
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight".
A happy and peaceful Christmas to everyone."
+ Cardinal George
Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
24 Dec 2012
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