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Christians in the land of Christ’s birth should not hesitate to express the joy that the Incarnation instills, said Christian leaders in the Holy Land in a message for Advent.
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem said that during the Advent and Christmas seasons, congregations and individuals should “fully commemorate the approach and arrival of Christ’s birth by giving public signs of Christian hope.”
“At the same time, we also call upon them to do so in ways that are sensitive to the severe afflictions that millions in our region continue to endure,” they said. “These should certainly include upholding them continuously in our prayers, reaching out to them with deeds of kindness and charity, and welcoming them as Christ himself has welcomed each of us (Romans 15:7).”
The leaders – those of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, and others – noted that last year, in the wake of the October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and Israel’s response, their call to “forego the public display of Christmas lights and decorations, along with their associated festivities” was interpreted by some throughout the world as a “cancellation” of Christmas.
Since last year, the war has escalated significantly, involving Israel’s invasion of Lebanon to reach Hezbollah, and several exchanges of missiles and drones between Israel and Iran.
More recently, the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria has raised concerns about that country’s future, including the status and treatment of its significant Christian minority populations.
More than ever
With a mixture of somewhat hopeful signs, uncertainty about the future, and continuing warfare and suffering throughout the Middle East, the patriarchs and heads of Churches expressed the view that the world needs signs of Christian hope more than ever.
“Our unique witness to the Christmas message of light emerging out of darkness (John 1:9) was diminished not only around the world, but also among our own people,” the Christian leaders said in their message, issued November 23.
But Holy Land Christians are called to “echo the Christmas story itself, where the angels announced to the shepherds glad tidings of Christ’s birth in the midst of similarly dark times in our region (Luke 2:8–20),” they said. In this way, they can offer the world a “message of divine hope and peace.”
