Why I'm spending Christmas in Bethlehem this year

This Christmas, while massive crowds of pilgrims will flock to Rome for the opening of the Jubilee year, I’ll be spending the holy season in Bethlehem. For many, Rome’s grand celebrations and newly polished piazzas are the obvious choice for the holiday. But for me, the small, struggling city where Jesus Christ was born holds a deeper urgency — and a quiet, heartbreaking beauty.

Today, Bethlehem is caught in the crossfire of war. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has cast a long shadow over the entire region. According to my sources in Bethlehem, more than 60 Christian families have left the town in the last six months alone. Pilgrims are few, as fears of conflict and restricted access deter most visitors. Where Rome anticipates millions for the Jubilee, Bethlehem’s holy sites expect only a few hundred brave souls.

For the Christians who remain, Bethlehem is both a source of pride and a heavy burden. Tourism, the backbone of the local economy, has all but dried up. Hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops stand empty. According to the UN, unemployment in the West Bank has nearly tripled in the past six months and is now at 32%. Even Christmas Eve, the most significant night of the year for this holy city, will likely see little respite.

Yet, amid these struggles, the Church of the Nativity stands a steadfast witness to the mystery of faith. The remaining Christians continue in their vocation of stewardship, offering worship in these storied shrines on behalf of the rest of the Christian world.

For me, spending Christmas in Bethlehem is a way of standing in solidarity with the Christians who remain, holding onto their faith in the face of extraordinary challenges. I also want to share their story. The current events in Bethlehem remind us that the Nativity — when God entered our world as a vulnerable child — did not happen in comfort or ease. Christ’s birth took place in a poor, occupied land, marked by hardship and uncertainty.

This year, I’ll participate in Midnight Mass at St. Catherine’s Church, adjacent to the ancient grotto where Jesus was born. I’ll walk through the narrow streets of Manger Square, where the city’s Christmas lights shine bravely against a backdrop of gray concrete walls and military checkpoints. I’ll head to the fields where angels first proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s birth to shepherds tending their flocks. I’ll remember the magi who traveled from afar to pay homage to the newborn king. And I’ll pray — not only for peace in Bethlehem but for the courage of Christians everywhere to remain steadfast in the light of faith, especially when the world feels dark.

Bethlehem’s story this Christmas stands in stark contrast to what most Christians will experience during this Holy Year. Bethlehem struggles just to survive. But in that struggle, I see an extraordinary reflection of the Gospel — a call to love, hope and witness, even in the most difficult circumstances.

As we celebrate the Jubilee and the great joy of Christmas, let us not forget the place where it all began. Let us remember Bethlehem — not just as the city of Christ’s birth, but as a Christian community still singing the ancient song promising peace and goodwill to all men.

Father Patrick Briscoe, OP, is editor of Our Sunday Visitor. Follow him on X @PatrickMaryOP