A Christmas Message from The Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA, Bishop of Metuchen
“And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us…”
The current pandemic situation has certainly altered our lives, but it has not crushed our spirit or kept us from practicing our Catholic faith! It has greatly challenged all of us and presented us with a unique time in our lives to go deeper into our own spiritual journey to realize how even now God is calling us to recognize Him in our midst. Even through this difficult time, our faith in the Lord gives us the confidence that He is guiding us and that we are called to learn to trust Him more and more. Our recent renewal of our consecration to Jesus through Our Lady of Guadalupe reminded us of our Lady's desire to intimately guide us too.
Of course, our need for the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament has hopefully become more apparent to us during these long and isolated months. We know that social restrictions have altered the way we meet with each other. I know that many families for holidays and special occasions use Zoom meetings to help satisfy the need to be with each other as we still have a need to "experience" our loved ones’ presence. This need is all the more true in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Yes, virtual Mass provides comfort and an opportunity to choose to offer ourselves to God, but just like our virtual family meetings, they are certainly not the same. We hunger for personal presence. The Lord understands our needs better than we do, and this is why He left His very presence to the Church. He knew our deepest need to be personally, united with Him. The joy of Christ’s birth feeds our hunger for the Eucharist. His coming brings light, healing and hope to all who are looking for answers and refuge amidst the difficult times we are all living in.
May the birth of Jesus Christ always inspire your personal prayer and reflection and renew your commitment to love and share the Gospel message with others. May the miracle of Christmas always remind us that our Savior was born into this world to save us from spiritual darkness. May Christ’s birth light the fire of His love so that it shines brightly within all of us; you have certainly been an inspiration to me during these challenging times. My prayers are with you and your family this Christmas. I ask you to please remember me in your prayers as well.