Cardinal Vincent Nichols opened his homily for Midnight Mass last night by acknowledging anxiety about the state of the world and quoting the poet W B Yeats: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world …”
Closing a year that saw growing persecution of Christians in the Middle East, the surprise election of Donald Trump as US President and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, the Cardinal said: “These words [from Yeats’ 1919 poem The Second Coming] reflect the deep and widening sense of uncertainty many feel today.”
But speaking at Westminster Cathedral in London this morning for the first Mass of Christmas he went on: “This is not the time or place to reflect on reasons or causes, but it is right to recognise these anxieties and fears.”
Read the full text of the Cardinal's homily
The nativity reminds us of the importance of care for our neighbour, the Cardinal said, adding “in the crib of Bethlehem there was room for the shepherds, the lowest of the low in their society.”
Consequently Christians must make room for the poor in their thought, prayer and actions, he said.
He went on: “The list of those who seek our welcome is long: the homeless, the refugee, the victim of violence and human trafficking. Their voices call out for our compassion.”
He also made an impassioned plea for better support for carers and the elderly and vulnerable people they look after.
“They are so frightened that resources to meet the basic needs of their loved ones are being withdrawn as care services are reviewed and reduced. For many elderly and needy people not only are these basic needs sometimes left unmet, but human contact disappears and the darkness of loneliness closes in. Meeting this challenge requires a recognition that good care for the elderly and vulnerable is not only important but nothing less than a defining characteristic of our society,” he said.
Amid political and economic uncertainty, he said, Christ was the unshakable and unchanging centre.
“Yes, we are anxious of the current instability in economic prospects and in the effectiveness of political structures. But here we come to a deeper centre, to Bethlehem, to him who shows us the foundations on which we must build,” he said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, picked up on similar themes in his Christmas Eve homily, saying that the close of 2016 ushered in a new year that “feels more awash with fear and division”.
Meanwhile the Queen did not attend church on Christmas Day because she is still recovering from a severe cold, Buckingham Palace said.
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