Before we were ready,
grace came.
Before the world was healed,
God drew near.

No gate was barred,
no life refused,
the child was given
for all.

Here, at the heart of this holy night,
every human life belongs.
The Spirit breathes wide mercy,
life without measure,
Love without condition.

This is Christmas:
love that comes first,
a door left open,
and a Church called
to keep it so.

Do not veil love with doctrine.
Do not raise the walls of salvation
with the stones of prejudice.
Do not dim the light of grace
with the shadow of the law.

For this awakening,
this gentle, trembling knowing,
is the path by which peace
finds the whole earth,
and Christmas becomes
the shared love
of all creation.

Merry Christmas!