A Gaze of Love and Hope at Christmas
The angel Gabriel said to Mary...
"You will conceive and give birth to a son.
You will name him Jesus...
His reign will have no end." (Luke 1:31, 33)
The angel of the Lord said to Joseph...
"Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
for the child she carries is from the Holy Spirit.
The prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus,
Emmanuel, God with us." (Matthew 1:20, 23)
Mary and Joseph keep in their hearts
The key to the kingdom in the person of Jesus.
Jesus, the Lord Savior, is already among them.
This is a great hope for Joseph and Mary and for all people.
The true God became man and chose Mary and Joseph
To take care of the One who will reveal to all humanity
The true face of Love.
It's Christmas,
Let us worship Jesus, Emmanuel, in the manger of the Church
So that he may be alive in the manger of our hearts.
It is in the Church, in union of
hearts and
In the communion of saints that
we worship and
Venerate the Son of God, the Incarnate Word.
It is in the Church that we worship the true God, true Love,
The One who makes us children of the same Father.
At Christmas, we meditate on the mystery of Incarnation.
It is at Christmas that our love for God takes on its full meaning.
The Word incarnate becomes flesh and draws near to us.
His closeness brings us into the intimacy of heart to heart.
We realize that we must make room for Him to love Him with
All our heart, all our soul, and all our mind.
At Christmas, we allow ourselves to be looked at by the child Jesus,
A child who disarms us from within.
Before Him, we are in awe, in gratitude.
We ask nothing of the baby Jesus.
Oh, how beautiful he is, looking at us and smiling at us.
We smile back at him and say thank you to Life.
We say thank you to our God for this new life in Jesus.
At Christmas, we allow ourselves to be shaken up in our routines,
We allow ourselves to be disturbed by a new surge of generosity.
We allow our hearts to expand to humanity
Our best welcoming and sharing.
At Christmas, our heart is joyful.
It is joyful first and foremost because a Savior is born to us.
Our hearts rejoice because it awakens in us the great desire
to resemble our Creator and to have, like Him, a merciful heart.
At Christmas, our eyes sparkle with happiness.
Our eyes see the illuminated Christmas trees and
Christmas decorations that remind us
that we are children of light and creativity.
Our eyes linger on the dark corners of
our environment and the planet that need
a little warmth, light, and love.
At Christmas, like Mary and Joseph,
We keep the flame of Hope burning in our hearts.
We joyfully celebrate our faith in Jesus,
The one who stands by our side every day and
In all circumstances.
We say YES to Life once again, and once again,
We say Come, Emmanuel, Come into our lives,
Come into our world and come to save us.
