Don’t get discouraged the Christmas message from local Archbishop
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The leader of the Catholic church in the Peace says there is a lot of turmoil in the world on this Christmas Eve.
Archbishop Gerard Pettipas is hoping people do not get discouraged by what they see in the world around us.
“I think we have to always be aware of the fact that, indeed, there are very unfortunate and sometimes disastrous things that happen. But there are also many good things that happen. Sometimes we have to, I don’t want to say (put on a different) pair of glasses, but maybe have different eyesight to be able to see the good things and to appreciate those.”
He is asking people to not only look for good things but do good things.
“One of the things that often strikes me is the gift that presence is. Not presents like gifts, but presence (as in) merely being with others. You see this especially when you visit somebody, say, who’s in the hospital or in a senior’s home or a nursing home somewhere, their days are filled with emptiness and to have somebody just come by. It doesn’t have to be a long visit, it can be just to go and to say ‘Hi, how are you?’”
Pettipas says more people go to church at Christmas as it is part of the season, although he would like to see more people at church all year round.