In a heartfelt and spiritually resonant Christmas address, the Bishop of Udupi, Most Rev Gerald Lobo, shared a profound message of divine love and illumination, marking the festive season with a call for inner transformation and societal harmony.
The Heartbeat of Divine Love
Bishop Lobo described Christmas as nothing less than the very heartbeat of God's love, a powerful and profound expression of His limitless affection for all people. He emphasized that the core of the celebration lies in God's ultimate gift: the offering of His own Son to the world, which signifies an immeasurable and boundless love.
The true spirit of Christmas, according to the Bishop, is experienced by personally receiving this divine love. He noted that this love is a wellspring of compassion and tenderness. The celebration is complete only when individuals become mirrors of this love, actively sharing the love of Christ from the depths of their own hearts with others.
Christmas: The Festival of Light Conquering Darkness
Drawing from the evocative poetry of GS Shivarudrappa, whose lines speak of light illuminating life, Bishop Lobo highlighted the central symbolism of light during Christmas. He reflected on a time when darkness covered the world, stating that the birth of Jesus Christ in the quiet of Christmas midnight heralded the arrival of a transformative light.
This event, he said, inspires all of humanity to walk in this light and become citizens of the Kingdom of Light. The power of Christmas, he explained, has the strength to turn darkness into hope, weariness into energy, and lifelessness into a vibrant, renewed existence.
A Call for Enlightenment and Compassionate Coexistence
Referring to Jesus as the Light of the World, Bishop Gerald Lobo stated that Christmas is the festival that wraps human life in this divine radiance and showers it with unconditional love. "Christmas is the festival of light in our lives," he affirmed, praying that this light would be born anew in every human heart.
He issued a powerful call to action, urging people to allow themselves to be enlightened by Christ's brilliance. This enlightenment, he stressed, should lead to a conscious renunciation of selfishness and hatred. He advocated for lives built on the solid foundations of unity and mutual understanding.
Finally, the Bishop called upon the community to actively foster brotherhood, social harmony, and compassionate coexistence. His message concluded as a reminder that the joy of Christmas extends beyond personal celebration into a collective responsibility to spread light and love in society.
