A Christmas Greeting From Bishop Thompson

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

It is hard to believe that I am celebrating my second Christmas in Southwest Indiana.  How time flies!

Once again, on behalf of Bishop-Emeritus Gettelfinger, my brother priests, deacons, religious and diocesan colleagues, I want to wish everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas.  Amid all the hustle and bustle of bargain hunting, travel, preparations, gatherings, feasting, wrapping and unwrapping, it is my hope that each of us may find time to ponder the true peace and lasting joy that only the presence of the sacred can bring to our lives, relationships and world. 

In this special Year of Faith, intended to heighten our awareness and commitment for New Evangelization, motivated by the universal call to holiness, we have been exhorted by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to cultivate a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to open the doors of our hearts and minds ever wider to the divine invitation made possible by the Incarnation of the Word made Flesh.  The Christmas event provides a constant reminder that the Lord needs only a bit of space in our hearts, minds, lives and world to make all the difference in the very meaning and purpose of our existence.  Such is the power of divine love and mercy revealed in the birth of Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary.

Regardless of our status in life, whether we find ourselves in the midst of great opportunity or challenge, each of us is blessed by the very fact that we have been created in the image of God.  Thus, we carry something of God within our very being.  Through the grace of this Christmas Season, may we be even more resolved in our proclamation of the Good News of God’s Kingdom at Hand by evidencing a credible witness of respect for the dignity of life and liberty.

Blessed Christmas to All!

Bishop Charles C. Thompson