Pope Seeks Prayers for Peace in Christmas Message

 Peace was the pope's resounding appeal this Christmas Day  "Uklia et Orbi" message, the Christian Today website reports today (Dec. 26, 2025).

Pope Leo XIV asked people to pray especially for an end to the war in Ukraine and for "justice,peace, and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria.

"Let us entrust the entire European continent o the Prince of Peace, asking Him  to oontinue to insoire a spirit of community and cooperation of those in need," he said.

"Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine: may the clamor of weapons cease,and may the parties involved , with the supportand commitment of the international community, and the courage to engage

in sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue.

The pope said that Jesus showed"the way to overcome conflicts --all conflicts, whether interpesonal or international, " with His example of forgiveness and His death on the cross to free man from sin.

"He is the Savior .With  His grace,we can and must each do our part to reject hatred, violence,and opposition, and to practice dialogue, peace, and reonciliation," he said.

Christ of Christmas: A Gift to Keep

  Thanks to God for His undescribable gift, the Crossmap website reports today (Dec. 23, 2025).

All the shopping, decorating,cooking, carol--singing,  traveling,laughing, and gift--giving will be over -- leaving behind leftovers, gift exchanges, and decoration storage in the wake.

In the process, we need to keep in mind the most important gift we received -- God's salvation through the gift of His Son. We must keep thankfulness in our hearts.

Jesus has held our heartsi n His unfailing grip since He was crucified. We must praise Him after Christmas for His gift of eternal life.

Our Lord speaks clearly in His Word. May your soul be refreshed, renewed, restored, and repurposed in the light He shines around you from heaven.

Let's remember to thank Him for His amazing gift. By the Holy Spirit, let's ask for His matchless power and guidance to send us to the ends of the earth to share the message of His good news.

Let's plead with God to fill us with His intense, generous

 love  for His people. May it oveflow from us into the lives of others so that they too will reognize and accept them as their Lord and King,

May we keep His joy in our hearts along with our gratitude. May we shout our  Lord's good news and proclaim His praises everywhere we go into the new year. He is worthy of all these. Christ, our Savior, is born! Amen!

Ten Thousand Believers Mobilize in Thanksgiving March for Peace in Chiapas Mexico

 On Mexico's southern border, more than 10,000 people and members of the Jesus es el Camino church took part in the Thanksgiving March to God for 32 years of Peace in Chiapas, held under the theme "One and a Thousand Reasons to Thank God for Peace," the Christian Daily website reports today (Dec. 22, 2025).

The massive march aimed to recognize the Chiapas  stability the region has experienced to the tranquility that, rhey say, God has granted  Chiapas since the 1994 Zapatista uprising when Tzatzil, Tzeital,and Tjolala communities took to arms to demand rights and reognition as indigenous peoples.

Thousands of Christians marched from the eastern side of Tuxtia Gutierez, the same capital toward Central Park. Another group departed from the "bridge of colors"on the western side of the city. Both contingents met in the central plaza, where musical performances, preaching, and prayers for the peace  of the state took place.

Pastors and believers ftom states across the country joined the march.

Paricipants held signs with messages such as "God Is Love," "God Heals Our Land," and God Bless Chiapas."

Archdiocese to Sell Land unde NYC Hotel for $490 M to Pay Sex Abuse Victims

 The Catholic Archdiocese of New York has agreed to sell the land it owns beneath the historic Lotte New York Palace Hotel for $490 milliont o help pay survivors of clergy sex abuse, the Christian Post website reports today (Dec.19, 2025).

The agreement comes a wek after Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced plans to sell the real estate to pay child sex abuse survivors in the archdiocese.

When it purchased the building in 2015 for $805 million from New York City--based Northwood investors, the company had o rent the land from the archdiocese through renewable 25--year leases.

In a letter to the fqithful on Dec. 8, Cardinal Dolan announced that the archdiocese would seek to raise more than  $300 million through the sale of  "significant real estate assets" to pay more than 1,000 sex abuse survivors in a "global settlement."

 

Christ of Christmas --God's Gift of Love

 Christ's arrival at Christmas marked the beginning of God's fulfillment of His promise to redeem His people, the Crossmap website reports today (Dec.17, 2025).

The Israelites expected their Messiah to arrive in kingly fashion, in the gifted with a long Davidic reign and a new kingdom that would give them freedom from the hated Romans. Instead, they received a baby in rustic animal quarters. The child grew up to become a lowly carpenter who would die in humiliation on a cross....not what His followers had imagined.

 

Yet, our Messiah took on the debt of our sins and paid for them in full as the Passover Lamb of God. He gave Himself as the substitute for the wrath we all deserved, so that  His salvation would dawn into our dark, desperate hearts. We were lost, and He found us. He brought us under His banner of merciful grace.He pulled us back from the edge -- away from the horrors of hell.

When He rose from the tomb, He broke the curse, cracked the grave.The blessings of His grave are even more profound. Jesus reserved for each of us a seat in His table in heaven, to join Him there at His marriage heart.

Jesus' love is the very essence of the Christmas season. In His unimaginable love for us, He surrendered His throne and crown to put on our tattered clothes and walk among us, even when we rejected Him.

Let's raise Jesus' cross high this Christmas to lead others to His Easter resurrection amid love!

Jesus Is the True Meaning of Christmas

We celebrate Christmas for Jesus, the Christian Today website reports today (Dec. 16,2025).

The word Christmas comes from "Christ's Mass,"which is a service celebrating the birth of Christ. It is the time to reflect on the entrance of the Messiah, the Lord and Savior into the world. 

Jesus is God's greatest gift to humanity.

Because of Adam and Eve's sin, humanity became disconnected from God (Romans 5:12). Every human being born the same brokenness (Romans 3:25). Out of this mercy and goodness, God gave His Law to show us the way back to Him, but with our sinful nature, we would never perfectly fulfill (Romans 3:20).Instead of saving us , he Law revealed our deep 

need for salvation and condemned us (Galaians 3:10).

But God did not give up on us.He sent His one and only Son --Jesus Christ (John 3:16). What he human heart longed for but could never earn -- reunion with God --was given freely in Jesus. God gave Himslf (John 11:2; Matthew 1:23). He did not us toclimbup to Him, He humbly came down to us: born in a manger, living among the overlooked, and offeing His life on the cross (Philippians2:6; Romans 5:8; Luke 2:7; John1:4).

Through Jesus, eveything changed. He is the ligh that entered our darkness and the darkness could not overcome Him (John 1:5). Where we weredead and condemned, we now have eternal lifeand salvation (Ephesians 2:1--5).

As we step into this Christmas season -- with presents, hanging lights, and enjoying the festive atmosphere -- keep in mind that without Jesus, there is no Christmas 

The Christ of Christmas -- Our Messiah

 In the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it, the Crossmap website reports today (Dec. 11, 2025).

We tend to throw the word around at Christmas without really understanding it.There is too much noise going on with Santa Claus and the Grinch getting all the name recognition. You don't even hear the word unless you are blessed to hear bits of "The Messiah" oratorio by George F. Handel.

Yet we ought to speak the same "Messiah in hushed tone. It's a holy and precious term. In Hebrew it's derived from the word mashiyach, which means "anointed" or "consecrated," a description usually reserved for kings or priests.

For those living in ancient Israel, the promise of the Messiah -- the kingly Son of God -- transcended the centuries. He would be the Anointed One. Our Righteousness. The Christ. According to the prophecies of the past, the Lord of the heavens Himself would come to deliver the people out of darkness and into glorious light.

Let,s open our eyes and hearts this season to see the words, the awe, and the excitement in that first Christmas, when Jesus came in astounding brilliance and majesty as our pomised Messiah. Let's worship Him in humility, giving honor and praise to the King of the ages. Let's speak His name with reverence.

 Gracious Lord Jesus, make me reverent in Your salvation and love. Thank you for coming as my Messiah, the Anointed One who has brought me hope of living in eternity with You someday -- when Your holy name will be shouted in praise by all Your loved ones! Amen!

Bethlehem Marks Return of Christmas Celebrations with Packed Tree--Lighting Event

Bethlehem celebrated the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree on a packed Manger Square on Dec. 6, following a two--year hiatus, the Christian Daily website reports today (Dec. 8, 2025).

The ceremony -- attended by church leaders, Palestinian officials, international diplomats, and local families -- marked Bethlehem's first public Christmas gathering since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023. City leaders framed the lighting as both a spiritual milestone and a communal act of resilience, declaring that he "light of peace" continues to shine from the birthplace of Christ despite the hardship in the region.

Bethlehem Mayor Maher Nicola Canawati welcomed the large turnout, noting that it reflected Bethlehem's global spiritual significance.Representing the Palestinian president, Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, affirmed that Christmas carries a message of hope born in a simple manger more than 2,000 years ago -- one that changed the face of the world. He emphasized that the birth of Christ is not merely a historical moment but an ongoing birth of hope for true peace and darkness, a reminder that light finds its way no matter how deep the hardship.

Military Becomes More Religious as Nation Remains Secular

 A recent statistical analysis shows that the U.S. armed forces are seeing a rise in religious sentiment, even as mainstream culture becomes more secular, the Christian Post website reports today (Dec. 4, 2025).

Ryan Burge, a professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center at Waahington University in St. Louis, Missouri, analyzed data from the Cooperative Election Study, noting that the number of active--duty military personnel who attend church at least once a week has increased in recent years.

The number of military personnel who attended church weekly has increased from 21%i in 2010--2012 to 28% in 2022--2024. Those who attended more than twice a week increased from 15% in 2010--2012 to 17% in 2022--2024. In total 45% of military respondents surveyed in 2022--2024 attended at least weekly.

During the same period, the number of surveyed civilians who attended church weekly stayed at 16%, while those who attended more than once a week declined fom 9% in 2010--2012 to 7% in 2022--2024. In total, 23% of civilian respondents surveyed in 2022--2024 attended at least weekly.