Christmas is the time when Jesus enters our lives in a special way. However this can be overshadowed by all the other activities at this time, like partying, shopping sprees and the giving of gifts. Also, I have now discovered that Christmas does not have to be a “once off” event for the year, but rather has an essential all year round character.

About 20 years ago I was asked to leave my beloved mission in Ghana in West Africa and return to Australia for Formation ministry. My mission in Ghana had been Parish work, in a very traditional area, where the people were subsistence farmers. After a time of local language learning I became very committed to my missionary work. For the most part this comprised going around, by motorbike, to the different villages for the purpose of basic catechesis as also for initiating development projects concerning the digging of wells and boreholes and for managing a Primary Health care project.

It was a stormy night along the east coast of Australia, but that didn’t stop the crowds attending Carols by Candlelight at various SVD centres.

Marsfield, in Sydney, the Multicultural Carols by Candlelight had to move from the lawns into the St Arnold Janssen Chapel and at St Maximilian Parish in Marsden, Brisbane, they were moved into the hall – but in both cases, the show went on! St Mark’s Parish at Inala also showcased their multicultural singing gifts at their Carols, as did other SVD parishes and communities around the country.

As I bring you this greeting for the upcoming Christmas season, I have just arrived back home from the blessing of our new SVD house in Myanmar.

In my comments of thanksgiving on that occasion, I was moved to reflect on the incarnational aspect of the birth of this new missionary endeavour.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for Advent – that beautiful time when the Church kicks off a whole new liturgical year with a period of reflection and preparation for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas.

It’s wonderfully counter-cultural to take these weeks of quiet, prayerful preparation when the rest of the world is going mad with parties and shopping and busyness.

This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent is also Christmas Eve and so I would like to reflect on two aspects of the Mystery of the Birth of Jesus – Mary’s “yes” and her fidelity, and the Word taking flesh and being born as a baby.

Different cultures came together in music and song to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Multicultural Christmas Carols, hosted by the Divine Word Missionaries in Sydney and Brisbane.

The SVD Marsfield Community hosted its annual Christmas Carols Festival and St Mark’s Parish, Inala hosted an ecumenical, multicultural Carols evening in Brisbane.

Christmas is almost upon us and summer in Australia is in full furnace-like swing. It’s a far cry from the snow-bound Christmases of my home country Germany, but the sounds and the smells of an Aussie Christmas have an allure all of their own.

Of course, it’s not all cricket and prawns on the barbie. Australia’s Christmas traditions have been enriched over the years by the people from many different cultures who have made their home here and who do Christmas in their own special ways.

It’s now the start of another liturgical year. This year is Year B, meaning that most of the gospel readings for Sundays will come from the Gospel according to Mark and also a good number of Sundays will be coming from the Gospel according to John.

Christmas was not always celebrated in the Church with the same importance with which it is celebrated today.

Well it’s summer time and Christmas is almost upon us. Even after all these years as a missionary in the southern hemisphere, I still love the novelty of Christmas in summer. The tradition of sitting outside on warm evenings at carols by candlelight, with children running around joyfully is a beautiful one.

And yet, we are aware that elsewhere in the world, things are not so happy this Christmas. As I write this message we are seeing unimaginable scenes of human misery coming daily from the besieged city of Aleppo in Syria. And in Berlin, people have been killed in a truck attack on a Christmas market.