My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I wish to express to each of you my sincere and warmest
greetings for a merry and blessed Christmas. I pray that
you and your loved ones will experience the Father’s
mercy and love, gifts which are ours unconditionally
through Jesus, the Christ.
The celebration of Christmas carries special meaning
within the Catholic Church in this Jubilee Year of
Mercy. In his letter announcing the Year of Mercy,
Our Holy Father Pope Francis – speaking of that first
Christmas Day – reminds us that: “…in the fullness of
time, when everything had been arranged according to
His plan of salvation, (God the Father) sent His Son into
the world, born of the Virgin Mary, to reveal His love
for us in a definitive way (so that) whoever sees Jesus
sees the Father.”
All too often, it appears that our world is quickly losing
sight of Jesus and the love of the Father reflected
through Him. We become blind to God’s presence,
blind to His love, mercy, and compassionate care. It is
not enough for us to commemorate Christmas as though
it were simply an historical event. We must live Christ-
mas daily, bringing to light in our own lives the power
and grace of the Lord Jesus. As our Holy Father pro-
claimed, this Year of Mercy must be: “a time when the
witness of believers might grow stronger and more ef-
fective… Mercy is not only an action of the Father, it
becomes a criterion for ascertaining who His true chil-
dren are. In short, we are called to show mercy because
mercy has first been shown to us.”
In this Christmas season, I invite you to open your hearts
to the mercy and love of Jesus Christ and, in doing so,
extend to others that same mercy and love which you,
yourself, have received. May Mary, the Mother of Mer-
cy, watch over you always.
Merry Christmas!
Most Reverend Joseph R. Cistone
Bishop of Saginaw