Word, Light and Life: The Essence of Christmas

Word, Light and Life: The Essence of Christmas

At Christmas Mass, pilgrims were urged to place the Child God at the centre of their lives.

On the morning of 25 December, at Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the rector of the Shrine of Fátima reflected on the meaning of God incarnate, based on three fundamental concepts present in the Gospel of the day: the Word, the Light and Life.

Father Carlos Cabecinhas urged the pilgrims gathered in the Basilica of the Holy Trinity to put Jesus at the centre of their lives and let his presence guide their choices and direction.

“Jesus Christ is the Word of God, capable of illuminating the depths of our existence and giving meaning to our lives. In the child in the manger, God reveals himself as light when we cannot see a way out of our problems, difficulties, and doubts. We were made to live, and we always carry with us the desire for a meaningful existence without the limitations we experience in the present moment. The source of life lies in Jesus Christ, the Child in the manger,” said Father Carlos Cabecinhas, deducing the ideal attitudes for celebrating Christmas from these three words.

“Welcoming the Child God means listening to Him and taking time to meditate on and pray about His Word so that we may seek to live it, accepting Him at the centre of our lives so that He may guide and enlighten our attitudes and choices, and assuming attitudes of attention and care for those around us and those with whom we come into contact,” said the president of the celebration, remembering the poorest and most despised people, including migrants, displaced persons and victims of war.

In conclusion, the rector of the Shrine of Fátima presented as a great challenge this Christmas the effort not to lose focus on the essential: to welcome into our lives Jesus, the Child God of the nativity scene, who is the Word, the Light and the Life.