Bishop's Christmas message: Protect the children

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

It is with gladness of heart that I greet you once again on this wondrous Feast of the Birth of our Savior, and wish you the inexpressible peace and joy of this sacred season that has such a hold on our hearts and on our treasured memories. These include the family gathering, the Midnight Mass, the carols, the lights, the bells ringing and the presents under the tree.

The lowly shepherds heard and welcomed the message of the Angel: "I come to proclaim good news to you -- tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people. This day in David's city a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

In response, the shepherds uttered a prayer of faith that calls us today to follow their lead: "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us" (15).

This Christmas, as we closely approach the new millennium, we come again in longing and in spirit to Bethlehem to celebrate the Savior's birth and to rejoice together in Jesus our Emmanuel, who was born in a borrowed stable to bring and to be the Good News of God's eternal love.

Several weeks ago, news photographers captured the passage of a long line of Rwandan refugees returning from Zaire to their homeland, and to the uncertain conditions and severe hardships still facing them. A TV broadcast showed an infant who had been delivered at the side of the road and who, too, would continue the arduous journey. Part of that little child's name, according to the televised account, signifies "peace," a sign, in those severe circumstances, of the hope, courage and dignity of those who chose the name. It also reflects the hunger for peace that haunts the human family in our time.

That newly born Rwandan infant is a striking reminder of the child whose mother and foster father traveled to Bethlehem and found only a crude stable as a birthplace for the newborn infant Jesus our Emmanuel. The tiny Rwandan child born at the side of the road is also a powerful symbol of the multitudes of children who suffer homelessness, hunger, violence, neglect and terror here and abroad.

On the Advent journey that we have just traversed, the voice of Isaiah, a trusted companion and guide, has again challenged and heartened us to "prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" (40:3). One of Isaiah's best-known passages describes the Peaceable Kingdom, in which "the calf and the young lion shall browse together with a little child to lead them" (11:6).

The Rwandan infant who has "peace" in his name and the child in the manger -- Jesus our Emmanuel, the Prince of Peace -- illumine in their unique ways the little child as peacemaker, as one who reconciles traditional enemies who are now at ease with each other as they "browse" together.

Isaiah proclaims the Spirit-filled messianic gifts of Emmanuel, who "shall judge the poor with justice and decide aright for the land's afflicted" (11:4). Justice and peace are both goals and effects in this vision of leadership and service on behalf of the people, and also of concern for the world of nature and of all living things.

The place and the role of the little child in the family and in the larger community are expressed in a universal and human image used by Hosea to convey the immense love of God for Israel: "I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks" (11:4). That human gesture is warmed by the care, reverence and tenderness with which the child is regarded and treated, and reflects an innermost attitude. The Word of God calls the human family to such relationships and to such care and concern, particularly for the most vulnerable among us, the children.

The place that children hold in society is a relentless indicator of the spiritual and moral fiber and values of that society. If the life, dignity and rights of children are held sacred and regarded as an unquestionable priority and trust, such a view, firmly held and exercised, can foster and nourish family life, can strengthen relationships and cooperative efforts in the community, and can require from public servants on all levels of government their accountability for providing the basic services needed for meeting the rights and the needs of the children.

Reading the signs of the times, however, raises some very disturbing questions and anxieties about a number of the ways in which children appear to be regarded in our society. Our most fundamental rights have been denied outright to millions of the unborn and have been restricted in various ways for the children of the poor and of the voiceless. The extent of the culture of death too often deprives our children of the very gift of life or threatens the survival of large numbers of children through the violence and abuse of which they are victims, and through the gun wars on the streets. Homelessness and hunger continue to afflict families, many of whom have suffered severe reversal of circumstances in their lives.

In these times of continued homelessness, hunger and want; of the severe plight of migrants and of immigrant groups, the Good News brought by Jesus our Savior steadfastly cries out to us in essence: "It does not have to be this way."

The multiple resources of our country, which include much more than financial ones, can really be put to sustaining and enabling use for our people in need through adequate public assistance, job training, child care, education and health care. To "judge the poor with justice" is to discern their situation by its stark reality. Measures taken to address their needs should be based on this evidence.

Reading the signs of the times, furthermore, discloses extensive evidence that proposed changes to accomplish welfare reform will require both adequate time and in-depth planning to serve the dignity and basic needs of our people, and to safeguard the lives and well-being of the children of our country and state.

The present indicators clearly show the urgent necessity of collaborative planning and of extensive input from those who directly serve the needs of the poor. The growing numbers of persons seeking help from our food pantries, for example, reflect the noticeably increasing numbers of people in serious need of such assistance. The continuing provision for sufficient food stamps is also imperative in these stringent times for those in want.

The Christ Child in the manger, the little Rwandan born by the side of the road and the little child in the Peaceable Kingdom relate directly to the teaching of Jesus our Savior on justice and peace, and to the Lord's assurance that we will be judged by our response to the needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick and those in prison (Mt. 25: 31-46).

Jesus our Emmanuel also calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (5: 13-16). The needs of the poor and the voiceless in our time call each of us to speak, write, act, advocate, serve on their behalf and to share as best we can our gifts and our treasure.

On December 8, 1996, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, we began our celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the foundation of the Diocese of Albany, established in 1847. At that opening ritual and after the beautiful music prelude, the solemn procession, and the singing of the Te Deum, I pronounced the following blessing: "From the God who is, who was, and who is to come at the end of the ages, peace and grace be with you all."

I repeat that blessing with gladness of heart; and, as part of this Christmas message to each of you in our Diocese, I extend my prayerful best wishes for a joyous Christmas for you and your loved ones, and for a memorable and graced Sesquicentennial Year of Celebration, as we seek together to fulfill its theme of "Honoring Tradition, Discovering Tomorrow."

Faithfully yours in Christ,

Howard J. Hubbard

Bishop of Albany

(12-19-96) [[In-content Ad]]