A Christmas Message from Bishop Ruggieri

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and all People of Good Will,

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we do so in a world that continues to know conflict, division, and violence. Many carry burdens of worry, grief, and uncertainty. Yet tonight, as on the first Christmas night, a quiet and powerful truth is proclaimed: love has come.

The Incarnation is not God’s reaction to crisis. It is God’s deliberate and loving intervention at the right moment. In the fullness of time, God chose to enter human history, not with force or spectacle, but in humility, in vulnerability, and in peace. In the child born in Bethlehem, God has drawn near to us. He has come to restore a right relationship with humanity, to heal what is broken by sin, and to offer hope that does not disappoint.

The angels’ proclamation of peace does not deny the reality of suffering in our world. Rather, it reveals something deeper. True peace is not simply the absence of conflict. It is the presence of God. It is communion restored. It is the assurance that God is with us and that his love is stronger than fear, division, and despair.

Christmas reminds us that God works patiently and faithfully in our lives. He accompanies us, forms us, and calls us forward, even through our imperfections and struggles. He does not abandon us. He repeatedly invites us to make room for his love in our hearts, our homes, and our communities.

May this holy season renew in us a quiet confidence that God is near, that his love has not withdrawn, and that his light of truth continues to shine in the darkness. Let us carry this hope into the days ahead, becoming ourselves signs and instruments of peace, mercy, and compassion for one another.

With prayerful best wishes for a blessed Christmas,

Bishop James T. Ruggieri