December 30, 2024 // Bishop

Worship the Newborn King with Humility, Bishop Says at Christmas Mass

Erika Barron

Advertising Account Executive

Stars were shining in the sky over Fort Wayne when Bishop Rhoades entered the elaborately decorated Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, December 24, to celebrate Christmas Mass at Night with the faithful gathered there waiting in anticipation to welcome the newly born Prince of Peace.

The Beloved Christmas hymn “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” was sung in full heart and voice as Bishop Rhoades processed to the creche that was holding the small baby in a manger. Here, he knelt in adoration, just as the shepherds had done at Christ’s birth the very first Christmas.

Bishop Rhoades began his homily by calling to mind the words of St. Luke. “The time came for Mary to have her child, and she gave birth to her first-born Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The words from the Gospel reading reminded those in attendance of the very moment for which God’s people had been waiting centuries.

Recalling the tremendous amount of preparation St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary had done leading to the earthly arrival of the Son of God, Bishop Rhoades said: “They had to travel about 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of the census decreed by Caesar Augustus. It was a real hardship since Mary was nine months pregnant. And not only that, when they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them in the inn. So, the Incarnate Son of God was born in a stable or cave and placed in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Even in the midst of these difficult circumstances, Mary and Joseph were undoubtedly filled with joy at Jesus’ birth.”

Bishop Rhoades continued by detailing how, from that very moment, God’s grace and plan for our salvation had physically manifested within the world. He also recalled the poverty and humility in which the King of Kings had been born into, and the humility of very first to adore Him – the lowly shepherds in the field.

“That’s the attitude we are called to have,” Bishop Rhoades said. “That’s why we came here tonight. We have come to this cathedral, like the shepherds who went to the manger, to worship the Child who is Christ and Lord, to encounter the Savior of the world. We must do so with humility if our worship is to be authentic, recognizing that we are sinners who need a Savior.”

Before concluding his homily, Bishop Rhoades invited those present to join him in the celebration of the Jubilee Year by attending the opening Mass held on December 29 and partaking in the gift of the Eucharist by saying, “When we celebrate the Eucharist, we find ourselves in Bethlehem, which means ‘the house of bread.’ Christ gives Himself to us, His very body and blood. He gives us Himself so we can carry Him and His love and peace to others. When we do, we help to dispel the darkness in the world, to spread the light of Christ, the light that shines in the darkness, the light that the darkness, in the end, will not overcome.”

Erika Barron is the advertising account executive for Today’s Catholic.