Letter from the Pews
Every December we celebrate a birth that changed the world. Christ came quietly, gently, without force or spectacle — yet from that moment, everything began to move. Hearts softened. Lives changed. Hope took root where people had almost forgotten it.
As we celebrate Christmas again, let us reflect on one of Fr Phil’s recent homilies and think:
What if something new could be born among us?
What if this Christmas marked not just a memory, but a beginning?
Many of us feel the sadness of seeing people drift away from faith — not in anger, but in quiet neglect. Week by week, we watch a world losing sight of Christ, of compassion, of purpose. But rather than despair, I believe this is exactly the moment God calls ordinary people — people like us — to begin again.
This year, I hope we can start a gentle movement of faith here at St Charles. Not just a programme, not simply a campaign, but the kind of renewal that begins in the heart and grows through small, steady acts of love.
Dilexi Te — “I Have Loved You” — reminds us that love is not an idea but an action. Christ didn’t simply tell us what love is; He lived it. He reached out, lifted up, listened, forgave, and welcomed all who came to Him. If our parish is to grow — spiritually, numerically, and in courage — it will be because we choose to love in the same quiet, persistent way.
So here is an invitation for the year ahead:
Do one small thing each week for someone else.
A message.
A prayer.
A visit.
A kindness.
A moment of patience.
A decision to forgive.
A step back toward God.
Small steps — repeated — create movements.
Movements — even tiny ones — change lives.
And changed lives rekindle faith.
This Christmas, let us welcome Christ not only into our homes and celebrations, but into our habits, our priorities, and our willingness to grow. The world needs Christian witness more than ever. Our parish needs hope, warmth, courage, and renewal. And it begins with us — today, right now, in this season of light.
May the birth of Christ be a new birth for our parish, for our community, and for each of us.
With every good wish for a blessed Christmas,
A fellow parishioner