Christmas - The feast of Family

It never ceases to amaze me, the enormous lengths people will go to in order to be with family at Christmas. Airports all over the world will bulge at the seams, and ferries will be choc-a- bloc. Joyful airport scenes of tearful embraces will be shown on news bulletins in the days before Christmas.

The recent storm damage at Holyhead port has jeopardised the prospects of thousands of Irish people, who may not now make it home for the big day, disappointment looms.

It's almost as if there is something at the heart of Christmas that triggers an inbuilt homing mechanism in the human psyche, a yearning to be with family and loved ones.

When you consider the reality that lies at the heart of Christmas; the reaching out of our creator to come among us, and make his home in our midst, it's hardly surprising that our response is a kind of echoing of God's reaching out in love.

In coming among us, Jesus has chosen us as his family, and has created a bond between and among us, that has fundamentally defined who we are, members of God’s own family.

At Christmas time even the 'unchurched' find themselves drifting towards Mass. Somewhere deep in the heart, the call to celebrate the bond of family with God is still managing to be heard. The flame of faith, once lit, never fully goes out.

A parish community is in effect a 'family of families' united under God, and our homing instinct will bring us together in our Father's house in great numbers at Christmas. If we keep focused on the one who gathers us, and his message of unconditional love, then the true meaning of the feast, in all its powerful simplicity can truly enrich our lives.

The commercialisation that surrounds Christmas can be overpowering leaving us financially and mentally drained. If we fix our eyes on the one who comes, we draw life from the very source of life himself and we will be greatly enriched.

I wish all our parishioners every joy and blessing of the season. Cherish the precious time with family in a spirit of gratitude to God, and I pray that the blessings of the Christ-child will be with you and your families at this wonderful season.

Philip Curran
St. Mary's and St. Patrick's Parishes