December 25, 2012      Martin Mallon  (Ireland)      Martin's previous articles

                          JOY TO THE WORLD

"We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice..."
Pope Paul VI

Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. Never was so much love incorporated in one person. How could we not celebrate his birth? Paul VI is surely right when he suggests that all the faithful should “rejoice.” Who could not feel Joy today? This is the “decisive encounter between God and mankind” and because of this encounter we are all saved, if we accept the salvation offered to us. What joy! Alleluia!

Here is Nat King Cole’s famous rendition of “Joy to the World”, which expresses what mankind should be proclaiming today, as well as we mortals can and nowhere near as glorious a version as the angels singing must have been when they announced “Joy to the world” to the shepherds outside Bethlehem all those years ago

Charles Dickens’ story, “A Christmas Carol”, has always inspired me
and this article by Jamie Lutton, an agnostic, sheds more light on this great work and explains why it is the most important Christmas tale:

On this day of his birth let us not forget that
Jesus lives, reigns and loves us for ever, and ever, and ever… (YouTube)

Merry Christmas to all readers of v2catholic.com and may you be full of joy today!