Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Christmas Midnight Mass
25 December 2025
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
on this holy night, in this cathedral church, we gather with hearts lifted toward Bethlehem. For the faithful, Christmas is not merely a season of festivity, nor is it defined by lights, gifts, or the sharing of food and drink.
All of these have their place, but they are not the heart of this night. Christmas is, above all, the commemoration of the birth of the Christ Child, Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. He is the light to the nations, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour of the world.
Tonight, we hear again the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” These words were first spoken into a time of fear and uncertainty, and yet they echo with striking clarity in our own day.
In recent times, the shadow of darkness has been cast across our world, and in a particular way across Greater Sydney. On the international stage we see warring nations, belligerent leaders, and powerful interests seeking to dominate the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and the minority. Closer to home, many feel anxious, divided, and unsure of what lies ahead.
At times it can seem as though we are entering a new dark age. Not a dark age marked by a lack of knowledge or technology, for we have more information at our fingertips than any generation before us. Rather, it is a darkness of the spirit, a dimming of moral and spiritual vision.
For much of human history, belief in God provided a shared horizon of meaning. Human life was understood within a larger story. Moral truths were grounded beyond individual preference. Suffering, while never easy, could be placed within a greater purpose.
As belief in transcendence has weakened in many parts of the world, that anchor has loosened. Science explains how things work, and for that we are grateful, but it does not tell us why we are here or how we ought to live.
When God is pushed aside, societies often try to fill the gap with ideology, nationalism, identity, or consumerism. These substitutes promise much, but they rarely satisfy the deep hunger of the human heart, and they can quickly become harsh or extreme.
To speak of a new dark age is not to romanticise the past, nor is it to surrender to despair. History teaches us that times of upheaval often precede renewal. Questioning can be destructive, but it can also be purifying. The human hunger for meaning, for truth, for transcendence has not disappeared. It has gone searching, sometimes in distorted ways, but it is still there.
And this is where Christmas speaks with quiet yet irresistible power.
Into a world marked by confusion and fear, God does not shout from the heavens. God does not impose himself by force. Instead, the Lord bares his holy arm, as Isaiah tells us, in a way no one expected. He comes as a child, born of Mary, laid in a manger. The Almighty makes himself small. The Eternal enters time. The Creator takes on our fragile human flesh.
Saint John proclaims it with words that never grow old: “The Word was the true light that enlightens all people… and the Word was made flesh and lived among us, and we saw his glory.” This is the light that no darkness can overcome. Not the darkness of war or terror, not the darkness of injustice, not the darkness of unbelief, not even the darkness of sin and death.
The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus is “the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature.” He sustains the universe, and yet he chooses to dwell among us. He enters our history in order to heal it. He enters our darkness to illuminate it from within. He comes not only to teach us, but to save us, to cleanse us, and to restore us to communion with God.
This, my dear brothers and sisters, is the positive alternative to every dark age. It is not an idea, not a programme, not an ideology. It is a person. It is Jesus Christ. Where he is welcomed, light returns. Where he is honoured, peace becomes possible. Where he is followed, even suffering can be transformed from within.
Christmas tells us that God has not abandoned his world. God has not given up on humanity. On the contrary, all the ends of the earth are invited to see the salvation of our God. In the face of fear, Christ brings hope. In the face of division, Jesus offers reconciliation. In the face of meaninglessness, Our Lord reveals a love that is stronger than death.
Tonight, as we kneel before the manger and later approach the altar, let us allow this light to reach us personally. Let us not keep Christ at a safe distance, as a beautiful symbol or a comforting memory. Let us receive him as Emmanuel, God with us, God for us. Let his light shape our homes, our choices, our relationships, and our witness in the world.
If our age is truly at a crossroads, then Christmas shows us the way forward. Not through power or domination, but through humility, truth, responsibility, and love that forgets itself for the sake of others. This is the light that dispels every darkness.
With the angels and saints, with the shepherds and the Magi, with the Church throughout the world, let us glorify God for the gift of his Son. Let us rejoice, for today a Saviour has been born for us. He is Christ the Lord. Amen.