We are all now enjoying the fruits of our recollections this past Advent season. First of all, it springs from our hearts to wish every member of our community and family and everyone we meet a merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.
Perhaps most of us are aware that we strive to keep the door of our church/house of prayer open not only for baptized believers but, first of all, for our neighbors, for all those who wish to pray and those who wish to have deeper knowledge of who our Lord Savior is. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, may we continue to live-out our desire to have our church and house of prayer open for everyone.
Along with our desire to have a church always open, we realize more that the birth of Jesus in this world, and it`s purpose is for everyone. Let's continue to let many more people know that the existence too of the church is for everyone.
From the very beginning, our Mother Church has been encouraging us to go out from our church vicinity to reach-out to the neighborhood and go to the place where the people who really need our protection are, as well as to the places of many others. As we reach-out to all of them, may they can openly see in us the presence of the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus. May we become instruments for them to connect to Jesus. As a result, may we return to the Church with them already to pray together with the rest in our faith-community. May more people through us discover a place of prayer and people of faith that is called the Church. In one way or the other may they bear in mind that in times they feel alone and thirst for the Word of God, there is a place where they can freely go/enter, with people they can consider a family.
People before us had witnessed the arrival/coming of Jesus our Savior in this world of when He historically was born in Bethlehem. We wait with joy in our hearts that He will come again to this world. And, every day we open our hearts to truly experience His presence. In the celebration of the Holy Mass, we receive Him in the form of Bread. May we come to realize (may we be able to truly realize) that reaching-out to others is not just giving our time and surplus materials to suffice what other people materially lack in this world, but to have a real communication with Jesus who was once a Child in Bethlehem.
Let us take courage to reach-out further, let them know that there is a Church, there is “us,”, and there is a Holy Eucharist. Let us spread the meaning of Christmas wholeheartedly and without any hesitation.
A joyful Christmas and peaceful New Year to all.