Christmas messages: Church leadersThe Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Dr John Neill, is urging people to embrace a "much more costly generosity" than simply donating money to charity this Christmas.
In a Christmas sermon to be delivered tomorrow at Christ Church Cathedral, Dr Neill will urge worshippers to follow the example of Jesus who "became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich".
"The generosity which is at the heart of the Christmas message goes beyond the putting of money in a box, on a plate, or in an envelope," according to the Archbishop. "God's gift to us in Jesus is a much more costly generosity - as the texts quoted express it - it is about self-emptying, about humbling oneself, about becoming poor so that others might be rich. It is a generosity born out of love, not out of guilt or compulsion.
"What does generosity require of us living in the Ireland of today? What does it mean for us as individuals, as much as for society as a whole?
"At Christmas we have all been reminded of the needs of the developing world and of the poor on our own doorsteps. Can we now afford to do that bit more as a country for world development?
"It seems hard to make excuses not to visit this issue again."
Meanwhile, the Church of Ireland primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, said progress could be made in the North if people took inspiration from the story of Christ's birth, or the "miracle of the stable".
"Can we take the real meaning of the Christmas story into how this community moves ahead in the new year?" he asked in a Christmas message from Belfast. "Once more the possibilities of progress and stability for this whole community beckons us forward. If we can translate the hopes of the stable into new trust, new possibilities and new hope then as we leave the stable there is real and genuine reason to look forward to a brighter future for all of us in Northern Ireland."
Another prayer for peace in the North came from two bishops from either side of the Christian divide. In a joint Christmas message, the Catholic bishop of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy, and the Church of Ireland bishop, Right Rev Michael Jackson, said people in Ireland were now in a "new era" where there were hopes of more sustained peace.
The two bishops - whose dioceses straddle the Border - said there was great need to explore together all the opportunities for a shared future and felt the inclusion of different ethnic groups in today's society demanded greater acknowledgment and respect for a wide variety of different faiths.
Most Catholic bishops are to wait until tomorrow before announcing their Christmas homilies, although the hierarchy has sent a message of support to Christians in the holy land amid continuing violence in and around Bethlehem.
In a message to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, HB Michel Sabbah, the Catholic bishops of Ireland said they deplored the violence "perpetrated by all sides in this ongoing conflict".
"In addition, we deplore the consequences of the current programme of wall and fence building, which is set to continue, which further deepens the sense of separation between the different peoples in the Holy Land," said the bishops, noting messages of peace and support could be sent to Christians in Bethlehem at www.paxchristi.net