![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Manger-Blessing-300x177.jpg\")
At the beginning of the Vigil Mass of Christmas Dec. 24, 2025, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera blesses the cr\u00e8che at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. (Photo\/Mike Melisky)<\/p>\nSCRANTON \u2013 A capacity crowd filled the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Christmas Eve as nearly 800 faithful gathered for the 4 p.m. Vigil Mass of Christmas, celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.<\/p>\n
With every pew filled and worshippers standing in the back of the Cathedral, the joyful liturgy marked the beginning of Christmas celebrations at the Mother Church of the Diocese and was broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television and livestream on Diocesan social media platforms.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of the Vigil Mass of Christmas Dec. 24, 2025, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera blesses the cr\u00e8che at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton. (Photo\/Mike Melisky)<\/p>\n
Later that night, Bishop Bambera returned to the Cathedral to celebrate Midnight Mass, and on Christmas Day he carried the same message of hope, humility, and compassion to residents of the Gino Merli Veterans Center in Scranton, celebrating Mass with veterans and staff.<\/p>\n
In his Christmas homily, Bishop Bambera reflected on the humility and hope found in the birth of Christ, sharing a personal story of witnessing kindness between two impoverished men on a cold winter day. He recalled witnessing one homeless man carefully ensure that his elderly friend had food before worrying about himself. That simple act, the Bishop explained, reveals the heart of the Christmas miracle.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor whatever baggage those two men carried, the kindness displayed between them gives us a glimpse of the goodness of God who reached into our broken lives on that first Christmas,\u201d Bishop Bambera said, noting that God continues to offer \u201chope and a way forward amid the upheaval of our world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quoting theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Bishop reminded the faithful that \u201cGod loves the lowly\u201d and is \u201cnear to lowliness,\u201d choosing to dwell among \u201cthe lost, the neglected, the excluded, the weak, and the broken.\u201d<\/p>\n
That nearness, Bishop Bambera emphasized, speaks directly to the fears and struggles many carry today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Jesus\u2019 birth, we no longer have reason to be afraid,\u201d he said. \u201cGod has accepted us and God has loved us \u2013 as we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bishop also encouraged the faithful to recognize God\u2019s presence in ordinary moments of compassion and human connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe joy of God\u2019s goodness is contagious,\u201d he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV. \u201cWe just need to be wise enough to know where to look and to accept that joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Christmas season now concluded, Bishop Bambera\u2019s message continues to resonate: the light of Christ shines brightest when it is humbly received and generously shared, reminding all that Emmanuel \u2013 God with us \u2013 has already come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2013 A capacity crowd filled the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Christmas Eve as nearly 800 faithful…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-86649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-scranton","9":"tag-scranton-headlines","10":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}