CHARLOTTE — Peace is the gift that Jesus brings each one of us, if we repent of our sins and approach Him with humble hearts.
That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis as hundreds of people welcomed the birth of Christ during midnight Mass Dec. 25 at St. Patrick Cathedral.
"This little infant, this little child in a manger," the bishop said, looking over to the Nativity scene near the altar, "this is why He's here - to bring us His peace through the forgiveness of our sins."
The name Jesus means "God saves," he continued. "That is very significant, of course, because that is His mission and because salvation is something all of us need. All of us have sinned."
God loves us so much that He sent us His only Son to personally save us, he said. "Jesus, the savior, is born for you."
Referring to the first reading from Isaiah (Is 9:1-6), Bishop Jugis reflected on one of the titles the Old Testament prophet used to describe the Messiah: "Prince of Peace."
"Jesus is the Prince of Peace," he said. Jesus brings peace to people of goodwill, just as the angels heralded at His birth in Bethlehem.
"Jesus wants to purify your soul, so that you can live in peace - that you can live in peace with yourself, that you can live in peace with God, and you can live in peace with others," Bishop Jugis said.
"The greatest obstacle to peace in the world is sin, pure and simple," he continued. "The reason He has come is to engage Himself in the monumental battle to conquer and destroy sin in us and heal us. It's not just a battle, it's all-out war that Jesus has come to wage against sin, to conquer it and destroy it in every one of us."
Sin is the root of all human problems, he continued.
"Just think of the sheer magnitude of the problem. Only God could fix all of this. God had to come because the problem was so immense."
"Sin divides us from one another, sin makes us jealous of one another, sin makes us suspicious of one another, sin makes us desire to dominate or control or manipulate or abuse others."
We find sinfulness all around us, he said, especially over the past few months in which the clergy sexual abuse crisis has shaken the Church.
Sin "makes us treat others with contempt," he said. "It makes us treat others with disrespect, use others and abuse others."
"We must come to Jesus and repent of our sins," he said.
"Repentance is the path to peace," he emphasized. "To do honor to the Prince of Peace, we come to Him with humble, contrite and loving hearts, and say to Him, 'Jesus, give me peace. Jesus, be my savior."
"It's really not hard to love Jesus, but it does require humility and an honest assessment" of our hearts, Bishop Jugis said.
"At Christmas God gives the gift of Himself to you. Just think of that! This Christmas give the gift of yourself to Him and to everyone you meet in loving service and generosity. It's the least we can do, considering what God Himself has given to us."
He prayed, "May God bless you and all of your families this Christmas, and may He keep you always in His peace."
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured at top: Bishop Peter Jugis celebrates Mass at midnight Dec. 25 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Concelebrants included Father Christopher Roux, rector; Father Christopher Bond, parochial vicar; and Father Paul McNulty, chaplain of Christ the King High School in Huntersville.