Listen to Him

A Christmas message from the Bishop of Gibraltar, Charles Azzopardi.

My Dear Gibraltarians,

This Christmas, my first as your newly elected Bishop, I greet you with profound joy and heartfelt gratitude.

Standing before you as a shepherd of this beloved Rock, I am deeply aware of the richness of our shared life, our faith, our history, and our enduring spirit as a people who have weathered storms and celebrated triumphs together.

Christmas is, at its heart, a season of listening. When the angels broke the silence of the night with their song of peace, the shepherds listened (Luke 2:14). When Joseph awoke from his dream, he listened and trusted (Matt 1:24-25). When Mary heard the angel’s words, she listened and said yes (Luke 1:26-38). Listening, in the language of faith, is never passive. It is an act of love. It is how we open the door of the heart to God and to one another.

As I begin my new ministry among you, I have chosen as my motto, the words spoken on the mount of Transfiguration: “Listen to Him” (Matt 17:5). These are the words of the Father pointing us toward His Son, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, the light that shines in our darkness. In these three simple words lies the secret of peace, healing, and renewal. If we truly listen to Him, we will find the strength to forgive, the courage to hope, and the compassion to serve.

Yet I know that in our world, and indeed in our own Gibraltar, it is not always easy to listen. Our lives are filled with noise: the noise of worry, of division, of competing voices that tell us who we are and what to value. The Christmas story breaks through all that noise with a whisper, a Child’s cry from a manger. It tells us that God does not shout from afar but speaks gently from within our own humanity. He comes not to condemn but to dwell among us.

Christmas is love unearned.

Christmas is a time of reflection. After Jesus was born and the Shepherd’s had visited and gone, Mary treasured the moments and words she’d heard and then pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19). In this world of rushing and the societal need for immediate response, taking time to be still, to reflect and be present in the moment with others, or while alone, allows our mind and spirit to settle and in doing that we are able to listen to what God is saying to us, to be at peace and to receive His grace.

To those of other faiths, and to those who do not share our Christian belief but share our common humanity, this message is for you too. Christmas belongs to all who long for peace, for meaning, for light in times of uncertainty. The message of Bethlehem, that love can be born in the most unlikely of places, speaks across every border and creed.

To our young people, who are the hope of our Church and our community, I want you to know that you are seen and loved. The world may sometimes seem uncertain, its voices confusing, its values shifting, but the voice of Christ still speaks. He calls you by name (Isaiah 43:1), inviting you to build a world of kindness, courage, and truth. Listening to Him does not mean retreating from life, but embracing it more fully, with open hearts, creative minds, and a willingness to make a difference. You are not the future of the Church; you are its present.

Our Gibraltar, small in size but great in heart, stands as a living symbol of unity amid diversity. We know one another; we work side by side; we celebrate and sometimes struggle together. In this, we already live a reflection of the Christmas message.

My prayer is that we continue to listen: to one another, to the needs of the poor, the lonely, the sick, the displaced, and the forgotten. When we listen, we make space for grace and compassion.

From the very bottom of my heart, I wish you and your families a peaceful Christmas, filled with love, hope and grace.