CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2023
CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF CUBA
Dear brothers and sisters:
“The people who walked in darkness saw a great light; “They lived in a land of shadows, and a light shone on them.” Es. 9,1.
Christmas is approaching and it seems to us that the text of the prophet Isaiah reflects well the situation and desire of so many people on earth. Indeed, old and new wars with their consequences of destruction and death, polarizations and conflicts that prevent dialogue, emigrants fleeing poverty and bombs, natural events resulting from climate change, economic and social injustice, the lack of freedom… they present us with a walk in darkness for so many, perhaps too many.
The Cuban people also frequently feel that they are traveling in the middle of the night. We are ending a very difficult year, because the situation regarding food, medicine and services in general is dramatic. The growing emigration of children, young people, entire families, workers and professionals adds to the suffering due to material deprivation, the pain of separation, and leaves many older adults lonely and helpless. The salaries of the majority are not enough to adequately nourish themselves, without thinking about other needs that human beings have to live with dignity. The prisoners continue to be missed at home and in the Christian community. In the hearts and faces of so many of our brothers there is confusion, sadness and hopelessness. The economy has not blossomed as expected, and the possibility of enriching ourselves with legitimate plural opinions and thoughts is not sufficiently recognized and valued.
“You increased joy, you increased joy; They rejoice in your presence.” Es. 9,2.
The prophet Isaiah contemplates that, in that sad town, God will make joy grow. It is also our wish and our plea. May God grant joy, peace, tranquility and hope to his people. Without these feelings in the heart, the human being loses enthusiasm for life, the ability to undertake initiatives and mobilize to carry them out. We have to create together, with responsibility and commitment, real possibilities for the Cuban people who are happy, creative, and enterprising to develop all their potential. And we can find in the Homeland the scope and freedom to develop personal, family and community life projects.
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us: he carries the government on his shoulders, and his name is: Wonderful Counselor, Warrior God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”. Es. 9,5
The joy that Isaiah glimpses has to do with the birth of a child. That prophecy is fulfilled at Christmas. God sends his eternal Son into the world, and in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the immortal God becomes a man, one like us, someone who shares now and forever our life, our limitations, our sufferings and fatigues. Jesus Christ is that Child to whom the prophet was referring. And at Christmas we remember and celebrate how much God loves us, how much man is important to a God who has become man. We are never alone! God walks with us!
We invite you to celebrate Christmas with family and in the Christian community. Despite the limitations, we must live it from the depth to which the Lord calls us. May it be a good time to share at home, to visit the sick and those who are alone, to pray more, to read and meditate on the Bible.
May the celebrations in the Churches, contemplating the Nativity and the Christmas tree, help us to be better, to seek God and open our hearts to Him. That each child can receive a present on Three Kings Day. May we give each other smiles, company, time to listen to each other and reconcile. And that by welcoming Jesus Christ into our lives, we resume or renew the path of faith. Because only by living in coherence with faith will we receive the salvation and eternal life that the Child God offers us.
Merry christmas! God bless our families and all Cubans. God bless Cuba.
The Catholic Bishops of Cuba.
Havana, December 10, 2023