The Very Reverend Michael J. Pitts

Greetings from the Dean,

Welcome to Christ Church Cathedral's web site. Whether you are a visitor to Montreal, looking for information, or a member of the Cathedral Parish, seeking the latest news, or whether you have found us while surfing the net, I hope you will find something useful and of interest here. I always enjoy trying to answer the messages I receive, or passing them on to the appropriate member of our staff.

As 1999 draws to a close, and as we approach the year 2000 there are many who see the coming Christmas festival as different from that of other years. Neither I, nor my clergy colleagues, have felt attracted to that understanding. We accept, in general, the scholarly consensus that Jesus was born between 6 and 4BCE. We do not believe that anything in the Christian tradition should lead us to expect any cosmic occurrence at this purely arbitrary date. The Y2K bug is, of course, another matter, and a purely human problem.

If there is a symbolism to be found in the beginning of the year 2000, it is that of openness to change and the possibility of newness in our lives and in the life of the world. But then, is that not precisely the symbolism of every Christmas? The birth of a child is a universal human symbol of newness, new life, new hope, new possibility.

The birth of this particular child is even more so, for what we celebrate in the Christmas festival is not the birth of any child, but the birth of one who is Emmanuel, God with us. In the stable, in the care of Joseph and Mary, in the visits of the Shepherds and the wise men, in the slaughter of the innocents and the flight to Egypt, we are to see God interacting in a special and unique way with all the joys and pains, all the history, all the past and present of humanity. The story of the birth of Jesus offers us a key to understanding the whole of human life in all its dimensions.

The story of Jesus is not however simply a story which offers enlightnment. It is a story that involves vocation. Christ was not born just once in Bethlehem, but, now and today, he is born anew in our hearts and in lives and in our world. His birth in us, which is the real celebration of Christmas, calls us to inner renewal. As we respond to that call we share in the coming of God's reign, and the renewal of community, society and the world.

May you have a joyful Christmas, and a happy new year, and may God the Holy Spirit guide us forward into this time of new beginnings.

Yours sincerely,

Michael J. Pitts

Christmas 1999 - Epiphany 2000
at Christ Church Cathedral