As we enter into the final waiting and longing for our Saviour to come this Christmas, it seems that the Prince of Peace has never been needed more in our world.

For those of us in Australia, we are mourning the deaths of the victims of the Sydney siege, while in Pakistan we saw the senseless slaying of school children, and conflict and violence continues in countries across the world. In all this turbulence we await the coming of the Christ child.

But while we wait for his coming into our hearts and minds, we also see evidence of his peace already amongst us. Surely there can be no better illustration of this than the impromptu memorial of flowers that grew up in Sydney’s Martin Place in the immediate aftermath of the deadly end to the café siege. It started as a trickle, but grew into a massive memorial, as thousands came to pay their respects, to show solidarity, and to say that evil will not triumph over good. NSW Premier Mike Baird described the flower memorial as “the beating heart of our city”. In each one of those carefully placed flowers we see the Prince of Peace among us.

And so this Christmas, against this backdrop, we enter into the season more mindfully, praying more fervently that the Christ Child who came to bring peace to mankind will find a home for himself in our own heart.

We pray that we will redouble our efforts in the coming year to honour his presence in our heart by honouring his presence in the hearts of all those we meet. This can find expression in simple things, like taking the time to offer a kind word to someone who is suffering, a word of encouragement to those doing it tough, or a helping hand to the elderly, the frail, and the marginalised in our community. As each of us honours Christ in the other, the peace of Christ takes hold, and fans into a flame.

None of us can change the whole world or eradicate evil from it. But we can contribute to peace by gratefully accepting the gift of the Christ child this Christmas and passing His peace on to those around us.

May this Christmas be a time of great blessing for you and your family.

Come, Prince of Peace.

Yours in the Word
Fr Henry Adler SVD, Provincial.

NOTE TO READERS: 'In the Word' will take a break in January and return in February. Enjoy the holiday period.