FAITH MATTERS
Finding ‘good news of great joy’ in this world of sadness
All we need to do this Christmas is follow the example of the shepherds who go to Jesus with love, writes Bishop Gerard Bergie. In return, we are transformed by his love for us.
December 20, 2025
By Bishop Gerard Bergie
Contributing Columnist
“Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
As we approach the beautiful feast of Christmas, the words of the angel to the shepherds remain just as meaningful today as they were 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.
On a daily basis, we are bombarded with bad news that often highlights acts of senseless violence and the breakdown of social cohesion. This can wear us down and rob us of joy.
In this time of sadness, we need “good news of great joy.” Where can this be found?
According to the angel, the good news of joy was that a child had been born. The shepherds are told that they will find him wrapped in bands of cloth lying in a manger (Luke 2:12).
How can an infant in such humble surroundings be a source of joy? It seems so ordinary.
To answer this question, we first need to understand that joy is much more than just happiness. Many things can make us happy; however, joy is a gift from God. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
It is not a feeling that comes and goes on a whim. Joy is something that is much more profound and enduring. It involves a perspective on life that provides an inward sense of contentment despite the outward circumstance.
It is rooted in knowing and trusting God.
The joy the shepherds experienced in Bethlehem, in such ordinary surroundings, came from the extraordinary child in the manger. Jesus, the Son of God, gave them great joy by simply being a beautiful baby.
They could approach him without fear and with great love.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote the following in a midnight mass homily in 2005: “God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenceless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendour and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us.” (Midnight mass Homily, Dec. 24, 2005)
Pope Benedict touches upon something truly profound. In order to be close to us, God removes all barriers.
Out of love for us, the Creator of heaven and earth becomes a vulnerable and defenceless child so that we can approach without fear or trepidation.
This perfect love and desire for spiritual intimacy is the source of our joy. All that we need to do is follow the example of the shepherds who go to Jesus with love. In return, we are transformed by his love for us.
In a spiritual work from the 12th century, a Benedictine monk captures these same sentiments about God: “You first love us so that we might love you — not because you needed our love, but because we could not be what you created us to be, except by loving you.” (“On the Contemplation of God” Nm 9-11, William of Saint Thierry).
This Christmas, let us be who God created us to be by going to the manger with love. We will then be transformed by the love of the Son of God so that we can proclaim by our lives the “good news of great joy” the world so desperately needs today.