Celebrating the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace, should mean making a commitment to opposing all war, to cherishing human life, feeding the hungry and speaking up for those who have no voice, Pope Francis said.

Every year, the Church’s celebration of the last Sunday of the liturgical year (the Solemnity of Christ the King) points to the coming of a new liturgical year and a new beginning — the season of Advent.

When Ukraine's embattled citizens gather this Christmas, their rich festivities will feel symbolically different -- as the festival is celebrated for the first time on Dec. 25, in line with the Western calendar.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission must at least log marks for audacity by attacking Christmas and Easter as “obvious examples” of religious intolerance following the Oct. 7 Hamas hate slaughter in Israel. Even in the wake of the most barbaric outbreak of religious “intolerance” afflicted on Jews since the Holocaust, after all, the CHRC created a media flutter with its recent “Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance.” To do so, it singled out the two main Christian holidays as prime causes of “present day systemic religious discrimination.”

A young woman, Suzette, became used to inventing explanations for being late for school. She was ashamed to tell the real reason: frequently, she had to take a detour, because she thought she’d glimpsed a certain type of vehicle and was afraid to see or be seen by the occupant. Just the idea of seeing a certain person who had harmed her, and who drove such a vehicle, made her so anxious she had to change her daily course. 

With the birth of Jesus, God became flesh to share the joys and sorrows, hopes and fears of all people, especially the poor and those living daily amid danger, Pope Francis said in his Christmas message.

Christ was born to touch people's hearts and show that love is the power that changes the course of history, Pope Francis said.

A simple stable is where God chooses to be born into the world, a helpless infant child. Many Christian households display creches with baby Jesus figurines as part of Advent preparations for Christmas.  There is another kind of “stable” though where Jesus wants to be present as this particular Christmas approaches, the stabilization centres of Somalia. 

Catholics, young and old, filling the pews with anticipatory energy. Choirs warming hearts and minds with joyful melodies. Parishioners joining together to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

Stopping to gaze at and perhaps pray before a Nativity scene is one of the best ways to remember the real meaning of Christmas, Pope Francis said.

The celebration of Christmas serves as a reminder that God did not reveal his greatness in a grand spectacle, but rather in the "littleness" of a poor, vulnerable child born in a stable in Bethlehem, Pope Francis said.

The Christmas season has so many wonderful feast days along the way, not least of which is Epiphany, the commemoration of the Magi’s visit to the Christ Child.

At the risk of being sentimental I want to talk about the greatest gift we receive at Christmas. That gift is Christ … and our faith in Him.

As the weather turns chillier and Halloween decorations give way to garlands and twinkling lights, modern society alerts us that Christmastime has arrived. It employs many techniques to achieve this effect, but they can all be categorized under one broad word: marketing. 

VATICAN CITY -- On a Christmas like no other, Pope Francis prayed for people who could not be with their families because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he urged everyone to recognize and help those who are suffering even more.