As Christmas approaches, the message of hope shining in the darkness may feel more relevant than ever. Whether inspired by the weight of a fallen world, personal grief, or the gloom that persists during the brief winter months, people seem increasingly drawn to the search for light.
This is the message delivered by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, who will celebrate Midnight Mass this Christmas.
Cardinal Dolan shared these sentiments in an exclusive interview with Maria Bartiromo at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, where he reflected on signs that Americans are rejecting the “caricature” of their faith. “Sales of Bibles and other books on spirituality have increased, calling them “offensive, subversive, harmful and outdated.”
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Cardinal Dolan sat down with Maria Bartiromo for an exclusive interview at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. (Fox News/Screen Grab)
“I think there’s a new appreciation for the role of faith, especially in our country,” he told the “Sunday Morning Futures” host.
“I think President Trump has taken advantage of that. I’ve talked to him before. He’s pretty blunt, so I can’t say he was raised a very committed Christian, but he takes his Christian faith seriously. “I’m here.” He has many memories of Norman Vincent Peale, the famous preacher here on Fifth Avenue in New York, and I think he is sincere.”
He continued, “I think this is a new assassination attempt that says, ‘There’s something watching me beyond me, and I have a mission.’” And what he expresses personally seems to increasingly be expressed globally. And that’s part of America.”
maybe there is He suggested there was a bigger job of watching the world, pointing to former President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, two figures who helped define the second half of the 20th century. Both men survived assassination attempts very close to each other, and each helped shape the world into what it is today.
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“When the two men first met, Ronald Reagan said to Pope John Paul II: “Mother Teresa said that the Lord spared me because He had something special in mind for me. I laughed and said, ‘She told me the same thing.’ “They both believed that, and thanks to them, the world changed for the better,” he recalled.
Cardinal Dolan walked with Bartiromo through the grounds of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and showed her a photo of a painting by imprisoned Hong Kong freedom fighter Jimmy Lai depicting Christ on the cross.
As billions of people around the world prepare to celebrate the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays, Dolan said the message for this midnight mass will focus on the “triumph of light.”
“The Lord always invites us to get out of ourselves. It gives us hope.”
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