MESSAGE FOR CHRISTMAS 2006
His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales

Christmas remains a great feast in the Filipino Christian faith and tradition. Despite the stressful circumstances that often accompany many of our fiestas, our people always manage to celebrate with joy and hope.

Greetings have always been “Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace to those on whom God’s favour rests.” (Luke 2:14).

The joyful character of Christmas, the coming of Jesus, as promised Savior, is an intensely communicable jubilation. It is not difficult to sing or hum a Christmas carol in this Season of the year.

However, the promised Peace remains as a very elusive virtue in our community. A poor understanding of peace and thus the undervalue of what tranquility really means have eluded our grasp.

Peace is not gained through the cessation of a battle. Conflict continues even in the time of peace. But the struggle is waged against the violence of the unjust and the proud, not using sword, rifle or arms. People desiring peace must wage war against greed and ambition. Where there remains still a single proud and greedy man, there can be no peace in his world.

Vatican II’s Decree on the Church in the Modern World reminds us that “Peace cannot be obtained on earth unless the welfare of man is safeguarded and people freely and trustingly share with one another the riches of their minds and their talents. A firm determination to respect the dignity of other men and other peoples along with the deliberate practice of fraternal love are absolutely necessary for the achievement of peace.” (LG, 78).

Only humble and selfless people are worthy of the Divine Gift of Peace. People like them san easily gather together as leaders with their dependents (called shepherds with their flocks) and proceed as one family to the stable where Christ Jesus waits still to be discovered.

This Christmas let our national prayer be that we can still make our way in the direction of unity in order that the common march can at last begin towards national Peace!

Maligaya’t mapayapang Pasko sa lahat!

(Signed) +GAUDENCIO B. CARDINAL ROSALES
Archbishop of Manila