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“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 20-21
Christmas 2025
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This brief biblical text from the Gospel of St. Matthew summarizes the mystery and wonder of Christmas – out of divine love for us, Jesus took on human flesh in the virginal womb of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, to save all people of all times and places from their sins. The birth of the Christ Child in the manger of Bethlehem was unlike any other event in human history because this birth has transformed the ultimate destiny of humanity, giving men and women the hope of spending an eternity of peace and joy in the presence of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Our Catholic faith teaches us that the birth of the Holy Child of Bethlehem, true God and true man, is the theological basis for our unshakeable hope for the gift of eternal life in heaven, a gift that makes each baptized person a pilgrim of hope, a theme that has been a focal point of our Jubilee Year, 2025 that is quickly drawing to an end.
I have often preached at Confirmation liturgies that our goal as disciples of Jesus Christ is “to get to heaven” and “to bring with us as many people that we possibly can,” beginning with those people we love most in life. The true peace and joy of Christmas is to embrace the hope of eternal life that the Infant Jesus, with outstretched arms, offers to each of us once again this Christmas Day, 2025, especially through our worthy reception of Holy Communion.
During this Christmas Season, I invite you to welcome Jesus, our Lord and Savior, as if for the first time, into your life and the lives of your loved ones. Strive to share your gift of hope in eternal life in heaven with others by keeping your hearts and minds fixed on the one thing that really matters, life on high in the eternal presence of the God who is Love itself.
I extend to all of you my prayers for a Blessed and Merry Christmas and I invite you to join your prayers to the prayers of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, as he prays for peace, a peace our war-wearied world needs so desperately these days.
With every prayerful best wish, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D.
Bishop of Worcester