Light shining in the darkness is powerful Christmas theme, Archbishop says

The Christmas theme of light shining in the darkness, depicted by the birth of the Lord, is very powerful Archbishop Charles Scicluna has said.

In his message for Christmas, Scicluna asked Catholics burdened by life’s circumstances to turn to the Lord in prayer.

He reminded that the true meaning of the festivities lies in the birth of the Baby Jesus, as he invited the faithful to approach the Lord’s manger and tell Jesus that they needed him.

“In the experience of prayer of the Church during this holy time of Christmas, the theme of light shining in the darkness is a very powerful one. On Christmas night we recall the prophecy of Isaiah who wrote that ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light’ (Is 9:1). The dawn of the Lord shone on humanity, on us – the people in dire need of the birth of our Saviour,” the Archbishop said.

Recalling a prayer by St George Preca - ‘Lord God, I need you’ - Scicluna said it would be a a wonderful thing this Christmas “if we reflect on this very simple yet profound prayer by this Maltese saint.”

“In front of this infant of Betlehem, in front of Jesus swaddled and lying in a manger by his mother Mary, we look upon the face of God – a vulnerable baby that needs our help – and we tell the Lord: we need you. We need you to teach us how to love each other, we need you to teach us to choose what is good, we need you to teach us and to help us forgive each other,” he said.

“If there is anyone listening to me right now, who is burdened by the circumstances of life, I invite you to approach the manger of the Lord and pray to him this profound and earnest prayer: ‘Lord Jesus, I need you’,” the Archbishop said, “If someone out there is happy and with good reason, may you share your happiness with your neighbour. What a beautiful thing it is that at Christmas we give each other a gift to remember that we have received the greatest gift of all: God made man. We can look upon him and perceive the answer of love he has for each and every one of us.”

Truth and justice, but also mercy, unity and peace

The Lord, Scicluna said, had come “to quench the thirst for truth and justice”, but had also come “to teach us mercy, unity and peace among ourselves”.

“May this Christmas find us yearning and at the same time attentive to the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Baby Jesus.” he said.

“Our forefathers taught us to tell the Lord not to cry, because we should be the ones to cry for our sins. As we recall our sins we must not lose heart, for in approaching Jesus we remember that he is the one who heals our soul, the source of mercy and peace.”

“This Christmas we remember that unto us the Prince of Peace was born and the peace in our heart is the greatest gift and the greatest blessing that I wish to each and every one of us,” he added, as he gave his heartfelt Christmas blessings.

You may read the Archbishop's full Christmas message here: