Today is Dec. 4, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent.
As Mass we hear in today’s readings, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.”
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ and the heart of the Christmas story, is a beacon of hope for Christians worldwide. Yet today, many of Bethlehem’s Christian families, heirs to centuries of faith, face hardship and displacement. In 1950, 86% of Bethlehem’s population was Christian; today, Christians are estimated to be less than 10%. In the last six months alone, more than 60 Christian families have left. The families who stay face an uncertain economic future as the precarity of the region strangles the tourism industry in which so many of them make their living. The exodus of Bethlehem’s Christian community is a poignant reminder of the trials endured by those who bear Christ’s name in a world often marked by division and strife.
Isaiah’s promise that God will wipe away every tear speaks directly to this sorrow. It assures us that the trials of today are not the end of the story. The suffering faced by the Christian community in Bethlehem — and by Christians in many other parts of the world — will one day be healed. God sees their struggles, their perseverance and their faith, and he has promised them a future of joy and restoration.
As we journey through Advent, we are called to stand in solidarity with the Christians of Bethlehem. Their story echoes the Holy Family’s own journey of faith and endurance. Just as Mary and Joseph found no room in the inn yet trusted in God’s providence, so too do Bethlehem’s Christians cling to the hope that God’s promises are unwavering. Our courageous brothers and sisters remain witnesses to the Faith in the very place where salvation entered the world.
Stand with the Christian community of Bethlehem
This Advent, let us remember that the God who came to Bethlehem is still at work in the world. The child born there is the same Lord who will one day wipe away every tear and bring justice and peace. We are invited to be part of this work by supporting, praying for and standing with the Christian community of Bethlehem, bearing witness to the hope that sustains us all.
May this season of waiting deepen our trust in God’s promises. Though the Christian community of Bethlehem faces challenges, their witness inspires hope, rooted in the assurance that Christ’s victory is certain. One day, the tears of Bethlehem — and of all the world — will be wiped away, and God’s peace will reign forever. For the Lord has spoken, and his word is sure.
Let us pray,
Prepare our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power, so that at the coming of Christ, your Son, we may be found worthy of the banquet of eternal life and merit to receive heavenly nourishment from His hands. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
