We begin this long-awaited celebration of the Christmas Eve by wishing one another “A BLESSED CHRISTMAS.” We are here not just to keep a religious and cultural tradition, but to commemorate the human birth of God’s Only Begotten Son. This is the event that has changed the course of human history and still has the power to change our lives for the better.

Such a wonder will happen if we, as individuals, as families, and as a community of believers, open our hearts to receive Jesus with the same generosity with which Mary Most Holy received him as her Savior and Lord. Let us do just that, even as we include in our intentions the needs of all those we love, the entire community of believers, and the whole of mankind.