CHRISTIANS must let the peace of Jesus Christ enter their hearts, said Fr. Rodel Aligan, O.P., prior of the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, during Christmas Eve Mass at Plaza Mayor on Wednesday, Dec. 24.
Aligan said Jesus, as the “Prince of Peace,” invites his people to partake in his glory.
“When we allow Christ to dwell in us, then we know peace. And that is why when you receive the Eucharist tonight, you are making the first step to accepting the peace of Christ,” he said in his homily.
Aligan said people yearn for peace—to live in a society without violence and injustices—which only Christ can provide.
“For many of us, peace seems a long way off… Most of us have gone through so many dark and difficult times. How much more when we think of people living in poverty tonight?” he said.
Aligan said people cannot “manufacture” peace no matter how hard they try to make it themselves, as the coming of Jesus is the true source of it.
Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula also highlighted peace as a key message of Christ’s birth.
In Mass at Manila Cathedral, Advincula said the angels’ song during the first Christmas began to redirect peace on Earth toward glorifying God.
“In today’s world, when success defines our worth, when control replaces trust, when ego competes with grace, the song of the Christmas angels reminds us that peace in our hearts and in the world flows from the freedom born of God-centered lives, the peace that is the gift of the Christ child. To discover and foster genuine peace, may we become like angels who glorify God,” the cardinal said.
The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord marks the beginning of the Christmas liturgical season, known as Christmastide. Alexandra Gabrielle C. Mansineros
