WATCH: Bishop of Truro's 2020 Christmas message
Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen reflects on one of the most challenging of years.
In his festive message, Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen says 'that 2020 has been like no year in living memory'.
The Bishop of Truro acknowledges the suffering the coronavirus pandemic has caused in the Duchy.
"This year, we won’t be able to gather for our usual carol services. There won’t be communion wine, midnight mass in many places will be restricted to people with tickets, assuming it can take place … who could have imagined that, this time last year?
"People are going to be very restricted in how they can get together … and as for the office party? Well, I suppose we’ve learned to do everything else over Zoom and Teams. But just think of all those local hospitality and service businesses who will be losing out, yet again.
"My heart breaks when I think of the many ways in which so many people have suffered in this diocese – those who have lost their jobs, those whose businesses have suffered or gone under; those who have suffered mental health problems as a by-product of all the changes and the enduring sense of anxiety; those poor people in hospitals and care homes who have not been able to see their loved ones for so long: it’s coming up to a year since I’ve seen my own father in the flesh.
"And of course, we think of those who have suffered directly from Covid-19: people who have been very ill and so frightened, those who are suffering the effects of ‘long Covid’, and, above all, those who have lost family members and friends to the illness.
Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro
The Bishop also looks to a more positive future though pointing towards signs of optimism.
"There are now at least very clear signs of hope. A herculean task lies before us, but we now know that vaccines can be effective. We have every reason to think that life can return to what we regard as being largely normal.
"Quite which bits of ‘normal’ we actually want back remains to be seen, but while we’re not there yet, I suspect many of us can relax slightly and sleep better at night in the knowledge that science is coming up with a solution for us all.
"It does feel symbolic to me, as we approach Christmas, that we can begin to feel hope.
"The Gospels tell us of course that Jesus is the Son of God, a gift to all Mankind. God gave us his son, and we celebrate that with tremendous joy.
"But Jesus saw and experienced suffering throughout his life. The New Testament is full of stories about how Jesus helped people to overcome their suffering: he cured the sick, he fed the hungry, and he spoke truth to power, challenging those who were in charge and people who abused their fellow men and women, and Jesus suffered as a result. And, of course, his life on Earth was cut short in an agonising and cruel fashion.
"But then came his resurrection, and with that the realisation that God offers each and every one of us the gift of eternal life.
"After darkness there comes light."