As the Church approaches the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord, a Christmas gathering was held at the Apostolic Nunciature in Pretoria, beginning with the celebration of Holy Mass.
The Eucharist was presided over by Archbishop Dabula Mpako of Pretoria, who also delivered the homily. Concelebrating and present were Archbishop Emeritus William Slattery, O.F.M., Auxiliary Bishop Masilo John Selemela, Archbishop Henryk M. Jagodziński, Apostolic Nuncio to Southern Africa, Monsignor Giacomo Antonicelli, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature, together with several priests.
In his homily, Archbishop Mpako invited the faithful to rediscover Christmas as a moment of gratitude for God’s saving presence. Reflecting on the Scriptures of the day, he said:
“As we come closer to Christmas and contemplate again the significance of the Christmas event, today’s message reminds us that Christmas ought to be a moment of thanksgiving, a time to express gratefulness to the God who comes to us through the incarnation of Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Mpako in his Monday, 22 December homily.
Turning to the First Reading, Archbishop Mpako reflected on Hannah as an example of thanksgiving and surrender: “Hannah, in the first reading, who had been barren for all her life until she prayed to God for a child and had her request granted, comes to the temple to give thanks to God and to dedicate the child she had been blessed with, Samuel, to the Lord for the rest of his life.”
He also recalled her song of praise: “It is the Lord who gives life and death, [who] brings people to the grave and back; [who] gives poverty and riches [and] who brings people low and raises them on high.”
Reflecting on the Gospel, Archbishop Mpako turned to Mary’s Magnificat, noting that, “She expresses heartfelt gratefulness for the wonderful things God has done for her by choosing her to be the mother of the Son of God.”
At the heart of his reflection was the mystery of Emmanuel, “The central message of Christmas to us is about the God who gifts us with his presence. For the name given to the child who is born to us is ‘Emmanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us’.”
Welcoming this presence, he said, requires surrender, and “For this to happen, however, we need to allow God to be God in our lives. We need to allow God to occupy the central place in our hearts and in our lives.”
The Archbishop concluded with an invitation to personal reflection:
“May this Christmas be not just a merry Christmas for us but also a time of deep reflection as we allow God to be God again in our lives.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Archbishop Jagodziński delivered his Christmas message, thanking Archbishop Mpako for presiding at the Eucharist and extending greetings to those present. The celebration concluded with a reception attended by the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature and their families, friends of the Nunciature, and guests, among them Archbishop Emeritus George Francis Daniel of Pretoria.
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