A Christmas Message from Bishop Joensen
by Bishop William Joensen | December 25, 2025
Dear Friends in Christ,
Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the nature of hope as a springboard for connection among us. He drew from one of the Church’s early fathers, Irenaeus of Lyon, who cut through the fog of different takes on the person of Jesus to emphasize his true humanity, his incarnation in the flesh. This truth is cause for our celebration of this great Christmas Feast. Our Holy Father refers to Irenaeus as a “cantor” of the person of Christ—one who sings well and leads others to proclaim the mystery of what God has revealed about himself, the Son who bears God the Father’s love into the world.
On Christmas night, Jesus stirs the angels to sing “Glory to God in the highest.” The infant Jesus’ cries were music to his mother Mary’s ears as she pondered the gift of her Son in her heart. And even the most reluctant, self-conscious person who is aware that he or she is not blessed with perfect pitch is moved by the Christmas mystery to become an uninhibited child who sings again. We join in the carols and hymns that express our awe and joy that God loves us so, and is so lovable. Catholics CAN sing, and should do so with gusto and grace!
Still, we know that in many quarters of the world, the music welling up in mothers’ and fathers’ hearts is a sad lament as they mourn the death of their children through indiscriminate attacks, famine, and inadequate medical care. Jesus hears their cries and joins them to his own from the cross. But Christmas confirms that the hope reborn that night is not in vain: God composes our sad songs into a score that will only be complete when we behold one another in heaven. Our earthly lives and relationships are forever connected to the eternal life Christ gains for us. For as St. Paul and our concluding Jubilee Year remind us, “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).
I invite you to extend your pilgrimage of hope by affirming spiritual practices that began or were deepened in this past year. Our prayers and continued participation in the Sacraments of Eucharist and Penance will energize and sustain our hope in the face of whatever this coming year holds in store.
After hearing the angels’ glorious song, whether the shepherds themselves sang on pitch or not as they made their pilgrimage to Bethlehem to behold the Baby Jesus, they surely must have been practicing to become “cantors” of this holy child. May you, too, bear a song in your hearts and on your lips, and may the Spirit of Christmas hope abide with you and your families!