Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, we first and foremost are reminded of the love that God has for us. This love does not come without an ability on our part to reject many who wish to celebrate Christmas without Christ. It’s hard for me to imagine a Christmas without Christmas carols, the manger, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Of course, as a kid, I, along with my contemporaries, looked forward to the presents that Santa Claus and relatives would bring – sometimes fulfilling those dreamed-for items. But it was always parents and relatives who reminded me and my cousins that we owed our allegiance to Jesus, fulfilled by our attendance at Christmas service.

Christmas belongs to family. Although for the days and even weeks leading up to Christmas, there are all sorts of Christmas parties at school, work, or organizations. The day of Christmas belongs to family. Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus created the Holy Family. They celebrated a birth and there were those that were invited to celebrate with the Holy Family, such as the shepherds, the choir of angels, the animals and later, the Magi. They filled the empty spaces surrounding the babe in the manger. Those who celebrated were recognized as quasi-family members.

As I age, I am more and more mindful of the people who filled the spaces of family Christmas gatherings, and I am very conscious of those now empty spaces created by the passage of time. I guess it might be maturity, but at a certain time the gifts were not as important as the gift of the relationships that we celebrated.

I have been blessed to have celebrated Christmas with my family, with various parish communities, with the military in Germany and the United States, in Rome with the Pope and here in our archdiocese. Every community has a special uniqueness, but there is the mark of family in the feeling that somehow and in some way, we are connected. The sense of identification centers on the reason for coming together and that is the person of Christ. “Emmanuel,” God is with us, and this person of Jesus establishes that it is through him we are connected. We are made brothers and sisters. It will be later in the crucifixion that we will be the children of the one blood of salvation. So, we accept our family membership and the invitation to be present at our family gathering before the child in the manger.

You, my LOA community, are an extension of my family. I thank you for reading my emails and for those who have commented verbally or in writing. Please know that I will pray for you during the Christmas season. I firmly believe that at some point in the future, at a time God ordains, we will celebrate with all who have followed the Son of God’s command to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. 
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the December 21, 2021 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.