Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, God’s own people in the Archdiocese of Regina,

“All the angels cry aloud with joy, for God has come himself to save humankind.”  The angels have a big part to play in the wonderful telling of the Christmas event. They are truly the messengers of God’s love poured out for us. The angel spoke the message of hope and promise to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son whose name was to be Jesus: “God is Salvation.” And salvation came to the wounded world.

In the dead of night as Joseph tossed in uneasy sleep, troubled by Mary’s pregnancy, the angel of the Lord whispered into his heart words of assurance and affirmation and saved Joseph from his fears and worries. Joseph opened his heart in love and trust to God and to Mary. In the deep darkness of the winter night angels spoke to shepherds bringing good news of freedom from fear and words of great joy. The angels speak God’s message to us in the moments of deep darkness in our lives. God’s message, God’s Word, announced by the angel, transforms our lives with messages of hope, promise, assurance, affirmation and above all JOY. God saves us from the threatening darkness.

We are like Mary in many ways. She found herself caught up in the rough realities of life which threatened to take from her all that was her security and her peace. God spoke his invitation and her life was filled with meaning and purpose. God has spoken his Word to us and that Word took on our human flesh, a profound and deliberate immersion into our frail humanity. Jesus, the Word made flesh, speaks words whispered in the recesses of our very soul and those words give us meaning and purpose to our lives. Jesus saves us from drifting and meaningless lives.

And so we welcome the message of joy given by the angel to the shepherds:“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city ofDavidas Saviour; who is the Christ, the Lord.”The darkness still hovers close. The economy of the western world teeters precariously, weakened by greed and avarice and without strong moral principles to guide it. Thus it threatens the material security of many but especially of the poor and vulnerable. But the One born to us is our hope in times of uncertainty, our light in the times of darkness and, above all, our loving Saviour who has poured out his life so that we may live forever.

And so I wish each of you and all of you the angel-sung joy of Christmas, the hope that can come only from our God who set aside all power and might to take on the helplessness of a new born infant and the love of God and one another that shines gloriously through the birth of Jesus the Saviour of the world.

Yours sincerely in Christ,
Daniel J. Bohan, Archbishop ofRegina