At Christmas Masses at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory emphasized how Jesus’s birth continues to shine light to the world and shows that all people count to God.

In his homily at a Dec. 25 Christmas Mass at the National Shrine, the cardinal said, “The Child that is born today is the very Light of the World. From the first moments of the night of His birth, the whole world has been made radiant, and we now no longer are destined to walk in the darkness of hatred, sin or fear.”

Cardinal Gregory said in a world of growing violence, hatred and intolerance, “We long for a hope that the brightness of the Light of the World was born to offer us. We want our eyes and our hearts to glimpse at a new moment that is filled with hope, peace, justice and compassionate love.”

The cardinal noted how Pope Francis in his pontificate has invited people to rediscover Jesus as the center and the light of their lives. Guided by Christ’s light, people “can have great hearts that are bright with love and generosity,” Washington’s archbishop said.

“Pope Francis has focused our attention on the light of Jesus Christ as the most important dimension of our Catholic faith,” and that taps into the desire for hope in the human heart that only Christ can satisfy, the cardinal said.

Concluding his Christmas Day homily at the National Shrine, Cardinal Gregory said that Christ’s light helps people go forth in a world marked by the shadows of hatred, bigotry and intolerance. 

On Christmas, people come to Mass “because we want to remember not just an event that occurred 2,000 years ago, but also we want to remember a possibility that is very much alive today,” he said.

“The Baby that was born in a stable still offers each one of us the true light that can change our shadowy world into a place of true hope and love,” the cardinal said. “Moreover, that Light is always shining brightly for anyone who seeks Him.”

The cardinal's Christmas Mass at the National Shrine was broadcast on EWTN, Catholic TV and on the Catholic Channel on SiriusXM Radio.

Celebrating Christmas Mass on Dec. 24 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Cardinal Gregory reflected on the story of how Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, where she and Joseph had traveled because Caesar Augustus had decreed that a census should be taken. But the cardinal said the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord harkens to a different kind of counting.

“Christmas is the feast at which all people count, not as numbers, not as statistics, not as figures, but as the very children of God, because of the Son of God who was born this day as an unnoticed infant,” Cardinal Gregory said in his homily.

Washington’s archbishop said it would be very difficult today to take a census of the world’s population, as Caesar had decreed for his empire, because now millions live in great cities and many live in remote regions.

“That night 2,000 years ago, a child was born in radical poverty unnoticed by all but a few shepherds. This child was born because all men and women count in the heart of God,” Cardinal Gregory said.

Making sure people count, he added, “is the responsibility of all of us whose lives have been changed by the birth of a baby during a census project that was for all practical purposes primitive.”

Recognizing the worth of all men and women “brings out the very best in each of us at Christmas time,” he said, noting that the season is a time marked by people treating those in need with dignity and care. “Christmas means that no one of us is unimportant.”

Cardinal Gregory said in families, children learn important lessons about love, life lessons that can sometimes be forgotten.

“Christmas is the moment when we are all called to relearn all the right ways of caring for one another,” the cardinal said. “This day, people throughout the world behave as we were intended to, with compassion and with tenderness. On this day, we all count.”

Concluding his homily, Cardinal Gregory said Christmas is a time to remember that “we are all God’s children, filled with dignity and love, and on the best days, we treat each other that way.”

That night’s Christmas Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle began before 10 p.m. with a musical prelude by the cathedral’s Schola Cantorum accompanied by the Madrid String Quartet. 

Then Cardinal Gregory processed toward the church’s nativity scene and knelt before it in prayer. Moments later, he stood and said, “When we look upon these figures, the Christmas Gospel comes alive…” He prayed that the scene will “remind us of the humble birth of Jesus and raise our hearts to him who is God with us and Savior to all.” Then he sprinkled holy water on the manger scene and incensed it.

The congregation joyfully sang “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” as the entrance hymn.

The first reading from Isaiah 9:1-6 included the words, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… For a child is born to us, a son is given us… They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”

For the offertory hymn, the Schola Cantorum sung a soaring “For Unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah.

The Mass was concelebrated by Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the cathedral’s rector, and Father John Hurley, who is in residence there. People wore face masks in accord with COVID-19 safety guidelines. People impacted by the pandemic were prayed for, and prayers were also offered for the poor and refugees, and that people might engage in effective strategies to sustain the Earth’s resources for future generations.

More than 400 people from around the world viewed the Mass as it was being livestreamed, including people from Georgia, Florida, Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and Canada. One woman wrote that she was “so glad you had this service for those of us who cannot attend in person.”

During Communion, the congregation sang “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Silent Night.”

Before his final blessing at the Christmas Mass, Cardinal Gregory said, “I wish all of you and your families a most blessed Christmas and peaceful 2022. May the Lord bless you and all those you love.”

Then for the closing hymn, people sang “Joy to the World” as the Mass ended about one-half hour before midnight on Christmas.