Archbishop’s Christmas Message

https://vimeo.com/138268384

 

“This Christmas our minds and hearts turn to refugees. We see their drastic situations on the media most days. They carry their loved little ones, their suitcases, and their tears of pain and hope into our hearts.

Refugees are not simply fleeing Syria.

There is an unprecedented movement of people fleeing oppression from so many parts of the world today.

Let us remind ourselves of the second verse of our national anthem,
Advance Australia Fair, “For those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share.”

The principal Christmas biblical personalities – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – were refugees too! They fled to Egypt to escape persecution 2,000 years ago.

Christians see these biblical Christmas figures in the faces of present day refugees. They become Jesus for us today.

Let all Australians continue to offer support and practical help when refugees come to our neighbourhoods.

Only then will Christmas be truly Christmas – a time of hope and joy in the midst of the terrors of the night.”

Archbishop Christopher Prowse, Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn.
December 21, 2015

 

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