Trier Bishop Stephan Ackermann emphasized the positive power of Christmas in his Christmas Eve sermon. The holiday has the potential to strengthen the will to live and serves as a sign for peace and understanding in a world full of conflicts.
In his Christmas Eve sermon in Trier, Bishop Stephan Ackermann discussed the comforting effect of the Christmas holiday. He stated that Christmas has «the potential to strengthen our courage to live». Believers worldwide praying, singing, and celebrating services together send a signal to those for whom the festival has become distant.
Ackermann pointed to everyday contrasts: illnesses, conflicts, displacement and flight, exclusion, and poverty shape reality. Added to this is «the language of aggression, panic-mongering, nastiness and incitement, lies». Yet, it feels good to hear the old Christmas message anew each year, especially because the world speaks a different language.
Those who take the Christmas message to heart send a clear sign of belief in a better world, mutual understanding, and peace. Believers do not shrug their shoulders and accept the status quo. Instead, they believe that «something different and more is possible». This is encouraged by God, who became human out of love for the world.
The Christmas message reaches people intuitively, not primarily through the intellect. Ackermann illustrated this with the image of a newborn looking and reaching out – a sight and gesture one cannot escape. Thus, the festival conveys hope amid much evil.