My dear friends, As Christmas approaches, I send warm greetings to everyone in the diocese and to family members living elsewhere in Ireland or overseas. Once again, together we look forward to welcoming Christ – the light of the world. This sense of sharing the light of Christ is the inspiration behind the new ‘REACH OUT’ campaign in our diocese. The lighting of a candle and the sharing of a prayer around it on Christmas Eve is a beautiful way of expressing the hope, the welcome and the unity that Christ brings. In a society that too often leaves people feeling isolated and excluded, the need to offer a word of encouragement and invitation was never more important. I hope that the lit candles of Christmas Eve will be a sign of support and solidarity, particularly if your experience of Christmas is a difficult one. In every gesture of welcome, every encounter, every act of friendship, we meet the Lord himself. In our reaching out throughout the diocese to newcomers, to the lonely, to the sick and housebound, to the young and to those who do not have close contact with the church, we are welcoming Christ in a special way into our lives. This Christmas, may we see Christ in one another and discover the fullness of his love for us all. Jim Moriarty Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin December 2004 |