RMG 22 December 2020 -- The Rector Major begins his 2020 Christmas Message:
“I like faith that becomes hope!” It's a quote from the Servant of God, Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận (1928-2002) confessor - martyr of faith, who spent 13 years in the prisons and 9 of them in solitary confinement....
And i believe that at the end of this year 2020 it is just the kind of thinking that can enable us to understand how can we live this Christmas and the next incoming year. It's true that the year we have just gone trough has been very difficult... A year of pain and loss, a year that so often has seen huge economic problems for families. In other words, a really difficult set of circumstances.
And how can we talk about Christmas when we have experienced all this? Sure we can always talk about Christmas. For us believer, Christians and Catholics it is always possible, because Christmas means that God comes to meet us, that God becomes man still today, close to humanity in His Son Jesus. He is God who always walks with his people. He is God who never abandons any of us, not even in times of sorros, suffering or loss. God is with us!
This is why, thinking of Christmas and about the New Year, is to live our faith with depth and inner conviction, to live it in beautiful way. Because we must feel that we are not alone...
... And what can we expect in the new year? The new year can thus be a good opportunity to start again in a different fashion and better than before: more attentive to the care of Creation. Can we dream about more human situation, where the cry of thousands of young people, to welcome migrants in a humane way? These migrants, who today, in a year like this have been 68 million people on the move through the world. Can we dream of a situation, where the outlook of compassion, of mercy, of hand that reaches out to those in need?
This is the reason, why I'm telling that celebrate Christmas today, we need to live our faith with depth, with serene inner conviction, but especially with a faith that becomes hope.. especially in the New Year 2021. Let us ask for this blessing on all of us, that comes from God who walks with us!
Merry Christmas - Holy Christmas!"
The Christmas message 2020 video is already available in 5 languages on the ANS CHANNEL and on Youtube with English subtitle
In few days time (December 26) the 15 minutes Strenna 2021 'Moved by Hope' will also be launched in the FMA General house in Rome, as announced by the ANS agency (LIVE video on December 26, 6 PM Italy time = December 27 at 1 AM Philippines time or 7 AM Samoa time).
