【正文】 e courage and hope we have seen in somany ways in Britain, in the Commonwealth and around the ’ve seen that it’s in hardshipthat we often find strength from our families。it’s in adversity that new friendships are sometimesformed。and it’s in a crisis that munities break down barriers and bind together to help , friends and munities often find a source of courage rising up from ,sadly, it seems that it is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human Prince Philip and I visited Australia this year we saw for ourselves the effects of naturaldisaster in some of the areas devastated by floods, where in January so many people lost their livesand their were moved by the way families and local munities held together tosupport each William travelled to New Zealand and Australia in the aftermath of earthquakes, cyclones andfloods and saw how munities rose up to rescue the injured, fort the bereaved and rebuildthe cities and towns devastated by Prince of Wales also saw first hand the remarkable resilience of the human spirit after tragedystruck in a Welsh mining munity, and how munities can work together to support past year has also seen some memorable and historic visits – to Ireland and from spirit of friendship so evident in both these nations can fill us all with thatyears ago were once so strained have through sorrow and forgiveness blossomed into long is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so giveus hope for course, family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of amunity, organisation or Commonwealth is a family of 53 nations, all with amon bond, shared beliefs, mutual values and is this which makes the Commonwealth a family of people in the truest sense, at ease with eachother, enjoying its shared history and ready and willing to support its members in the direst have always looked to the future, with a sense of camaraderie, warmth andmutual respect while still maintaining their importance of family has, of course, e home to Prince Philip and me personally this yearwith the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the Godgiven love that binds a family many this Christmas will not be our armed forces deployed around the world,thousands of service families face Christmas without their loved ones at bereaved andthe lonely will find it especially , as we all know, the world is going through difficult this will affect our celebration of this great Christian hope in adversity is one of the themes of was born into a world full of angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: ‘Fear not’, they urged, ‘webring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all unto you is born this day in the Cityof David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.’Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes needsaving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our sent into the world a uniqueperson – neither a philosopher nor a general(important though they are)– but a Saviour, with thepower to lies at the heart of the Christian can heal broken families, it can restorefriendships and it can reconcile divided is in forgiveness that we feel the power ofGod’s the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, there’s a prayer:O Holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray Cast out our sin And enter inBe born in us todayIt is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of theangels and for the love of God through Christ our wish you all a very happy Christmas.