Archbishop Nichols' Midnight Mass Homily

London: December 25, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

'Glory to God on high and peace to all people on earth!'

This is my Christmas greeting to you and to all sharing in the Mass ontelevision.

A Happy Christmas!

Yes, indeed, we are filled at this moment with peace and happiness,enhanced by the beauty of this liturgy and by memories of goodness.

But will it last? Realistically we know that happiness and peace aredifficult to sustain beyond such moments as this. More often we feelpressurised, discontented or troubled. Perhaps sustaining happiness in ourlives is an art we have lost.

Yet this is our Christmas greeting: that the child born in a stable inBethlehem is the source of our happiness.

What a paradox!

The wisdom of our world tells us that happiness comes with success orpre-eminence in our chosen field, with wealth whether through enterprise orthe Lottery, or with celebrity status, even the fleeting status of TV fame.Happiness, we are told, comes from the way in which we are regarded bysociety.

Yet, in our hearts, we know this is not so, even while being tempted tofollow such siren voices. We know that our happiness lies much closer tohome: in our steady relationships of friendship and love: in family andcommunity.

Taking this path leads us to a much firmer grasp of true happiness. Slowlywe learn what our priorities must be if our desire for happiness is to befulfilled. And the crib, the stable of Bethlehem, spells out those lessonswith the clarity of a star shining in the cold night air.

Let us look and see.

Here is a truly human family: Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus. Here is aloving, committed couple, sharing side by side both adversity and joy. Thisis the first source of happiness: faithful, persevering love which bearsits fruit through self-sacrifice.

Then there is the child. He is at the heart of this revelation, at theheart of happiness, for in his every word and action he will disclose thetruth, not only of God but also of our own humanity. He is the one at thecentre of these celebrations, whose birth we celebrate and whose message weagain proclaim.

But there is something to be understood about this child which aloneunlocks the door to our true happiness. It is this. He is, in his person,both truly God and truly man. This is the key. Without a firm grasp of thistruth we will lose this greatest of all gifts, we will misunderstand thereal significance of his message.

If Jesus is indeed God yet not fully man, but simply God in disguise, thenhis message of God's loving forgiveness is charming indeed but still out ofour reach. If he is not truly human, it does not find a home in our flesh.

If Jesus is indeed truly one of us, truly man, but not true God, then hismessage of peace and forgiveness may well be humanly inspiring but it lacksthe power to change us. For only God can do that.

Only when we grasp that Jesus is truly God and truly man is the gulfbetween us and God breeched. Then we are no longer on our own.

This is why the heavens rejoiced and the angels sang at his birth! Thischild is totally unique and his coming a transforming moment. This is Godwith us, God in our flesh and his message is both true and full of power.It is for us and it can truly change our lives.

This child Jesus must grow. So, too, must his message, within us and inour world. Each of us is called to grow and mature from an infancy of faithinto a mature willingness -- like Mary's -- to be instruments not of ourown ambition, but of God's will.

This is our struggle, for while we long for peace, there is still conflictwithin our hearts and our world. Conflicts fill the news, and cause injuryand death, to those in Afghanistan and Iraq who are so much in our prayersat this time. While we long for sincerity, there is deceit and duplicitywithin us and in our society. While we long for a sense of community, somany youngsters resort to gangs and gang violence to bolster their weakenedsense of identity. While we long for reconciliation there is still suchbitterness in our blood-stream.

But the gift is there: the gift of Christ's love and forgiveness, to bereceived on our knees. Then we may grow again.

And in that growth lies our true happiness:

A happiness of sincerely serving others;
A happiness of rejoicing with them in shared effort and joy;
A happiness of knowing and offering forgiveness;
A happiness of lasting love which is not afraid of self-sacrifice.
This is the happiness open for us on this darkest of nights. Let usrejoice in this gift, accepting it afresh with gratitude and so wish eachother a very happy Christmas indeed.

News source: www.zenit.org