You, too, are called to commit yourself wholeheartedly to the message of love and forgiveness brought to us by Jesus; you, too, must, in your own heart, leave everything and follow him.”

Jesus said I no longer call you servants, I call you friends.  He understood what friendship means and demands.

Just as Jesus had ‘the power of the Spirit within him’, just as the first apostles had the ‘power of the Spirit’ within them, we too have the ‘power of the Spirit’ within us.

In our present times of suffering, be they Omicron,  Climate change,  Political uncertainty, Poverty, Illness or death; our hope, our certainty rests in the person of Jesus, in his ‘Great Sign’, his ‘Great Hour’, when he died and rose again and is now with us, truly with us, until the end of time.

Our baptism in Christ, invites us to uphold the life of each one in a dignified world.

‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’ In other words, the long awaited moment had come, the world had changed forever - even if it didn’t feel any different.

Jesus is good news, and Mary hastens to share her good news with her cousin, Elizabeth.

Just as John was chosen to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, we too, this Christmas morning, can pray that we will recognise the child in the crib as God coming among us out of a love beyond all telling.