主內的兄弟姊妹：

看，我給你們報告一個為全民族的大喜訊；今天為我們誕生了一位救世者，

他是主默西亞。牧人們就急忙去了，找到了瑪利亞和若瑟，並那躺在馬槽中的嬰

兒。為了他們所聽見和看見的一切，正如天使向他們說的一樣，就光榮讚美天主

回去了。（路二：10－20）

每年聖誕佳節，我們慶祝基督誕生的奧跡，此乃救世者，主基督，為我們誕

生了。這普世歡騰的大喜訊，年復一年，奧跡不變；變的，乃我們的希望與期待

、渴求與夢想。

今年，人類跨進一個新局面，同慶2000年的開始，同慶普世歡騰大喜訊，

救主為我們誕生了，悠長救恩歷史的一年。我們不但回顧往昔，還憧憬未來，充

滿新希望、擁抱新理想，在人生白冷朝聖路上的特殊階段，繼續宣揚「全民族」

大喜訊，響應教宗的感召，揭開人類歷史的新頁，革新人生旅程的良機。本世紀

裡，大地四極，備受駭人的死亡文化所蠶食，文明倒退，教人心寒。面對導人至

死的文化，這個聖誕，我們再一次應邀慶祝生命的大奧秘，「一個嬰兒」為我們

誕生了的大喜訊。

在一位誕生於白冷的嬰兒身上，我們慶祝生命的奧秘。這生命猶似其他新生

嬰兒，限於具體條件，脆弱無能，我們從而得悉救恩的喜訊，人性神聖尊嚴的啟

示。因為，救主降生，與人共享。耶穌「與人超性的結合，使人類在祂身上，合

而為一，共組一個家庭。」（論教會在現代世界牧職憲章，22）這生命從山洞馬

槽中開展，將在十字架上奉獻犧牲，完成世人救恩的喜訊。耶穌復活，人類重生

，不但出人意表，確是「全民族」的大喜訊。

聖誕前夕，聚首一堂，慶祝基督誕生，偕同教宗和普世教會，一齊參與二千

禧年的揭幕大典。因為耶穌降生，我們實有理由，歡欣雀躍，慶祝我們的新生，

延續人類的得救。謹讓我們在此共融喜慶當中，邁進新的千禧，新的紀元。

普世歡騰，喜訊傳揚，人性尊嚴，萬民共享，我們得到啟示，獲得力量，拓展

新的文化，締造新的文明，此即教宗以先知性的信德和希望，寄語為「愛的文化」。

白冷的牧人，所見所聞，正如天使所說，喜不自勝，讚美光榮天主；肯定他們

帶同這一天賜喜訊，返回故鄉。同樣，我們前往白冷，不為留在白冷，而要返回自

己的生活圈子，因應需要，把得天獨厚的喜訊，與人分享。

這一天大喜訊，先由牧人領受，二千年來，輾轉相傳，是恩賜，是殊榮。這一天

大喜訊，呼召我們，加強服務社會，提升人性尊嚴。此一天大喜訊，必須與人分享，

加以傳揚。我們懷著喜樂與平安，希望與啟迪，為了世界，回到世界，傳揚喜訊，努

力福傳；新的文明，愛的文化，這是教宗對人熱切的期待，我們慶祝活動的心靈成果

。我們必須透過日常生活，給人傳遞，與人共享。謹以聖神默啟的說話，偕眾前往白

冷朝聖之士，齊心同聲讚美光榮天主。

願我們的主耶穌基督的天主和父受讚美！他在天上，在基督內，以各種屬神的祝

福，祝福了我們。因為他於創世之前，在基督內已揀選了我們，為使我們在他面前，

成為聖潔無瑕疵的；又由於愛，按照自己旨意的決定，預定了我們藉著耶穌基督獲得

義子的名份，而歸於他，為使他們知道，他旨意的奧秘，是全照他在愛子內所定的計

劃：就是依照他的措施，當時期一滿，就使天上和地上的萬有，總歸於基督元首。

（弗1：3-5，9-10）

胡振中

一九九九年聖母無玷始胎節日

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Each Christmas we celebrate the mystery of the birth of Christ. This is the Good News

that a Saviour has been born for us, Christ Jesus the Lord, and this is the great joy that

the Good News brings. Each year, the mystery is the same, but we are different, as we

come with different hopes and expectations, different aspirations and desires.

This year we all come within a very different context, for we come to celebrate the

beginning of the year 2000, a year that celebrates a long history of grace, the history

of the Good News of great joy that a Saviour has been born for us. Yet our eyes are

not only fixed on the past; we turn with great expectation towards a new era, an era

with such potential for new hopes and new ideals. We come to mark a very special

stage in the pilgrim age of humanity to Bethlehem as we continue to proclaim this

great joy which is "to be shared with all the people". This year we come to Bethlehem,

inspired and animated by the call and aspirations of the Holy Father for a new beginning

for humanity, a new chance to begin again on our pilgrimage through life. This century

has been one in which we have experienced a horrendous growth in the culture of death,

a despairing collapse of much of civilization, both east and west, north and south. In

face of such a culture of death, we are invited this Christmas to celebrate once more the

great mystery of life, the Good News of a life given for us.

We celebrate this mystery of life in the concrete and conditioned life of a baby at

Bethlehem, fragile as all human life is in its beginning. Because of this life, we learn

the Good News of salvation, the revelation that all life is consecrated in the fullness

of human dignity. For, by virtue of the Incarnation, the divine dignity is shared with

each one of us, since Jesus "has united to himself all humanity in a supernatural

solidarity which makes of it one single family". [Church in the Modern World, 22: cf.

On the Laity 8] This life, begun in a manger in a cave, would be offered in sacrifice

on the cross to bring the Good News of our salvation to completion. That life would

then be renewed beyond all our hopes and dreams in the resurrection of Jesus, and in

the resurrection of all humanity in him, so that the joy of the Good News might truly be

"for all the people".

As we gather on Christmas Eve this year to celebrate the birth of Christ, we participate,

in union with the Holy Father and the Church throughout the world, in the inauguration

of the Great Jubilee of the year 2000. Because of the life of Jesus, we have every reason

to celebrate, we have every reason to be filled with the great joy which the Good News

of our salvation has brought and continues to bring to the whole of humanity. It is with

this unity and joy that we enter into a new millennium - a new era.

In this joy and in its propagation in this world and in the lives of all who share with us the

dignity of being human, we discover the inspiration and the strength to begin constructing

a new culture, a new civilization, that civilization which the Holy Father with prophetic

faith and hope has called "a civilization of love".

The shepherds came to Bethlehem and experienced the truth of the Angels' message.

Their joy was translated into glorifying and praising God. But then they returned -- to

their own people, their own lives, certainly carrying with them this Good News, this

great joy, that they had received. So, too, we do not come to Bethlehem to remain there.

We come in order that we may return to the world in which we live, this world which

has such a great need of the Good News and of the great joy we have been privileged

to receive.

We return, for the Good News, received by the Shipherds and communicated to all of

us through these two thousand years, is a gift and a privilege to be shared. This Good

News calls us to a greater human service, especially to the service of the promotion

of human dignity. Bethlehem calls us to evangelization by sharing this Good News

and this great joy.

We return with joy and peace, hope and inspiration for the world. We communicate

those gifts as we spread the Good News by teaching and preaching. More importantly,

we communicate and share them with others by our witness of life, by living out the

new culture of life and the new civilization of love which the Holy Father so earnestly

desires as the spiritual and human fruit of our celebration. In union with all those who

have ever worshipped at Bethlehem, we glorify and praise God in words given us by

the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

+ John B. Card. Wu

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 1999