Christmas 2023: May the Lord's birth inspire peacemaking and respect

Christmas Message of Archbishop Timothy Broglio

President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
and Archbishop for the Military Services

As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity of the Prince of Peace, my thoughts go out to all of those who suffer from the trials of war. Certainly, the Holy Land, Ukraine, Syria, and Africa readily come to mind. However, we must also think about our societies and cities.

We pray for peace. We engage ourselves in a renewed attempt to encourage civil dialogue and cooperation in place of stale polemics, education, and understanding in place of foregone conclusions and the repetition of the last thing garnered from the internet.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio

Divine love moved the Eternal Father to send His Son for our salvation. It means that Almighty God deemed us worthy of that supreme sacrifice. That tells us something about the value of each unique human person and urges us to treat each other with respect, understanding, and courtesy.

Peace begins there, and we are ever learners who want to enshrine peacemaking in the ordinary activities of each day. Most of us are not called to the negotiating table, but we can all communicate ways of peace and respect.

We ask to join that first band that kept company with Jesus, the donkey and the ox, so as to learn some docility from them. We might then also appreciate the value of silence in our noisy world. We might also apply the lessons of listening, learned from the preparation for the Synod assembly and the experience of the same.

I willingly wish all the listeners a blessed Christmas and a New Year of peace with justice.