27 Dec MERRY CHRISTMAS…DON’T FORGET ABOUT “THE INNOCENTS”
“I bring you good news, a great joy for all the people: Today in the city of David , is born unto you a Savior.” (Luke 2: 10-11)
Last September when we commemorated the World Day for Migrants and Refugees with the theme: “Like Jesus Christ, forced to flee,” we recalled the sorrow which breaks into the Christmas season to remind us of the vulnerability of the JOY that has been given to us. Like an infant in our arms, the JOY can be extinguished, die, turn into sadness; therefore we are invited to take care of it, protect it, make it grow and promote it.
“In Rama a voice was heard, weeping and great mourning: it is Rachel, who grieves for her children.” (Mt. 2:18)
“To contemplate the manger also means to contemplate this cry of pain, to open our eyes and ears to what is going on around us, and to let our hearts be attentive and open to the pain of our neighbors, especially where children are involved. It also means realizing that that sad chapter in history is still being written today. To contemplate the manger in isolation from the world around us would make Christmas into a lovely story that inspires warm feelings but robs us of the creative power of the Good News that the Incarnate Word wants to give us. The temptation is real.”[1]
Desiring that the HOPE renewed in these days may accompany us on our way, the Spearheading Team wishes you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a NEW YEAR 2021 filled with joy shared with many.
María José, Inés and Constanza
[1] Letter of Pope Francis to the bishops on the feast of the Holy Innocents, 2017.
